Bond
by Chakat StarDust
Summary: Hao wakes in the clutches of the X-Laws and finds Yoh being tortured by them since the end of the tournament. Strange things start happening as they learn to trust each other and soon find themselves with a choice that could change them forever
1. Chapter 1

Star: New story! I know I said I was going to do The Family Man, but this one all the sudden jumped up in votes on my poll, so I decided to give the people what they seem to want. I own nothing but the plot and any OCs that may or may not show up in this story.

Pain...agony...and then...darkness. No longer aware of time, space, or self, he drifted in the quiet emptiness of his subconscious, caught between life and death. He had no idea how long it lasted or even why it had happened anymore. The silence was blissful though and he wanted to stay.

Waking...pain...He could hear screaming, but he didn't know where the sound came from. Everything about him hurt and with the pain came a brief stab of memory before the darkness closed in again and he forgot once more.

The cycle continued, pain and then darkness. Each time he surfaced into the pain it was less and less and he could feel himself coming closer to remembering... remembering what he didn't know, he didn't know what there was to remember, but it felt important somehow in those brief moments before the numbness descended again.

Finally, inspiration! Half-conscious he became fully aware of himself...Hao Asakura was who he was. The pain...he cracked his eyes open and stared up at the ceiling, dazed and still feeling slow in the head. He tried to sit up, but his arms and legs were strapped down to whatever surface he lay on. That wasn't good...but he was having trouble thinking of why.

As he was lying there, contemplating and waiting for his brain to catch up to him, a face moved into his vision. He jerked instinctively, though he only vaguely recalled the blonde man with glasses who smirked down at him. The straps binding him were undone and he was hauled up to his feet painfully. He might have yelped, but he wasn't sure.

He was forced to walk, stumbling and tripping over his own bare feet. His vision blurred with dizziness and he tried to blink it away. He tripped over one of the flagstones of wherever they were and fell to the ground, cracking his head painfully on the floor. He was yanked back up and forced to keep going. The fresh pain cleared some of the fog in his head, but he still struggled to understand what was going.

He was thrown forward and he fell, managing to catch himself, but still collapsing in a heap. There was a metallic slamming noise and the sound of something being locked. He lay still, still trying to make sense of what was going on. The floor was damp and slightly slimy, and it smelled bad, like waste, sweat, blood and something else that seemed almost like the smell of pain mixed with fear.

He jerked as a hand touched his back and he was slowly rolled over. He stared up into worried black eyes, and memory returned in a painful rush. Hot anger surged through him and heaved himself up and tackled the other boy to the ground and putting his hands around his throat, choking him.

"You..." He hissed, ignoring the pounding pain in his head. Yoh, his idiotic little brother, blinked up at him, struggling to take in air. "You bastard... what the hell have you done? No, it doesn't matter, does it? You stood in my way, and now you're going to die for it."

Yoh fought to speak. "You'll be sharing a cell with a corpse then." He managed to gasp out, staring up at Hao with tired certainty in his eyes. Hao felt his eyebrow twitch and he released Yoh. Yoh rolled over onto his hands and knees and coughed, gasping in air desperately.

"What the hell do you mean?" Hao asked, looking around. He really was in a small cell, about three metres wide, closed in on three sides by stone walls and one with steel bars. There was no window, the stone was moldy and damp and the only scant light came from a single naked bulb hanging from the ceiling outside the cell.

"I think it would be something the X-Laws would think would be a good 'punishment' for you. Leaving you in here with a rotting body would be kind of traumatizing, wouldn't it?" Yoh replied, voice hoarse. He sat back, leaning against a wall with a low groan.

Hao sat up, taking a good hard look at his twin. He'd certainly seen better days. He seemed almost skeletal, the low light accentuating the hollows in his cheeks and around his eyes, giving him a skull-like appearance. In addition to the incredibly disturbing weight loss were the bruises, scars, weal marks, burns and other various injuries that marked every available inch of skin that wasn't covered by a tattered, dirty pair of boxer shorts. A metal ring ran around his neck, and Hao realized he was wearing one similar to it around his own neck. It seemed to be an inhibitor for his powers. Bruises were forming under and around Yoh's collar and a thin trickle of blood trailed down from it.

"Pretty sight, isn't it?" Yoh croaked out sarcastically. His bleak eyes were ringed with huge dark circles.

"How long have you been here?" Hao demanded, unable to believe what his eyes were showing him.

"Dunno." Yoh shrugged.

"Where are we?"

"Don't know that either."

"Well, what do you know?" Hao snapped, his temper awakening. Yoh stared at him expressionlessly.

"I know they took me pretty much right after our fight ended, how and where, I do not know. I've been down in the dark for god knows how long, but it feels like forever. No one obviously knows where I am, otherwise they would have come for me already. Oh, and I knew you were alive before you oh-so-nicely decided to strangle me."

"I'm still debating killing you." Hao warned. Yoh merely snorted in contempt. It seemed his incarceration had brought out a more cynical side. "How did you know I was alive?"

"It's the reason they brought me here." Yoh said wearily. "They found you alive and figured I'd held back and believed that I was in cahoots with you all along. Brought me here to try to pry information out of me and 'reform' me." He laughed drily and coughed softly. "As you can probably tell, they haven't been very successful."

Hao didn't have to ask what was going to happen to him. They'd torture him as part of their so-called justice, probably trying to break him in the process. He'd die in pain... "This is all your fault. If you hadn't stood in my way-"

"Then billions of innocent people would have died." Yoh snapped. "You're not the only one in a fix, Hao, but I'd rather deal with this than the guilt of knowing that I allowed you to kill so many people."

Hao opened his mouth to retort, but the sound of footsteps echoed towards them. Marco walked into view, holding a tray, an infuriating smirk plastered on his face. "Getting comfy?" He asked, smirk widening when Hao growled at him. "If you want away from this madman, you know what you have to do." Marco informed Yoh.

"I'll take my chances with him." Yoh replied evenly. Marco shrugged and shoved a roll of bread and a water bottle through the bars of the cell. Hao waited until he'd gone then snatched both before Yoh could move.

"I don't much care about the food." Yoh told him calmly. "But I don't know how long it's been since I've had water, could be a day, could be two days, but I guarantee we won't get it again for at least another day. So, do you really want to be sharing this cell with a corpse?"

Hao huffed and tossed down both the water bottle and the roll, which was stale and slightly moldy anyways. Yoh stood up and walked over, picking up both with dirty fingers. He pulled the roll in half and offered it to Hao. Hao wrinkled his nose at the offering.

"You're going to need your strength for what comes next." Yoh informed him, unscrewing the water bottle and taking small sips from it. Hao noticed that his lips were so dry that the cracks in them were bloody. Yoh drank half the water bottle and handed it back to Hao. He then carefully scraped away most of the mold on the bread and slowly began to eat it.

Hao gulped down the rest of the water and ate some of the moldy bread, grimacing in disgust. "If you think that's bad, you won't like the other sorts of things he brings us." Yoh told him dourly. "If you've got any sense you'll eat everything he brings you, even if it's disgusting. There's no telling when the next meal comes in this place."

Hao stared at Yoh some more, wondering how in the hell he was supposed to get out of this mess. He didn't have his powers, his followers were probably either dead or scattered to the winds. Yoh's family and idiot friends had been unable to rescue him, so where did that leave them? He could try and overpower Marco, but he was still weak from his injuries. Speaking of which...

Hao looked down at himself. He too was only wearing a pair of boxers, which were in better shape than Yoh's, but it probably wouldn't take long to change that. What held his attention was the long, scabbed, pinkish scar running from his collarbone to his navel. He touched it, experiencing a small amount of pain.

"This is your doing." He pointed out to Yoh, who merely rolled his eyes.

"If you're expecting me to apologize, forget it." He said. "I did what needed to be done, I don't regret it."

"And yet because of you we're here." Yoh sighed and closed his eyes, leaning against the wall again.

"Save your strength." He said seriously. "You're going to need it. I'm going to sleep. It's about the only thing to do other than start talking to the walls, and I don't think I'm that crazy yet."

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Star: So, what do you think?


	2. Chapter 2

Star: Sorry to disappoint all the twincest fans out there, but this will not be a twincest fic. I own nothing, on with the story!

Hao stared at the wall. Yoh had gone to sleep and now the only sound was his deep, raspy breaths. Hao couldn't sleep, his mind was too busy. He needed to find a way out of this place. He supposed that Marco would have to come into the cell in order to take either him or Yoh out to torture them, so he could try something then, see how prepared Marco was for him.

He eyed Yoh in distaste. As much as he hated to admit it, he probably needed to keep Yoh alive for now. He'd obviously been here for awhile, while Hao was being allowed to recover from his injuries, so he knew what was going on, what they could possibly do to him. The fact that the X-Laws had managed to get both of them made his blood boil.

He breathed out slowly, trying to calm himself down. If he allowed himself to get worked up he might try to kill Yoh, which was a tempting notion, but he was far more useful alive than dead, he was sad to say. It would be satisfying though to take his vengeance on Yoh for this when the time came. Who knows, Yoh might even consider death to be a blessing after everything he was going through here.

Hao got up and paced the cell, looking out as far as he could from behind the bars. He shouldn't have bothered. All he could see was down a hallway. At one end were stone stairs, at the other, a heavy wooden door. Hao's skin prickled; he was willing to bet that behind that door was where Marco did his torturing. He wondered if the little girl joined in too...

A sharp, short scream brought his attention back to the present and put his senses on high alert. He whipped around, his head spinning with dizziness and saw that Yoh had woken up and was breathing quite heavily.

"What the hell is your problem?" Hao snapped, annoyed at having been agitated for nothing.

"Nightmare." Yoh replied tersely. "Forgive me if I disturbed whatever it was you were doing." He added sarcastically. Hao's eyebrow twitched; he wasn't sure if he liked this new side of Yoh he was seeing.

"That happen often?" he asked. Yoh shrugged his shoulders, sitting up and rubbing at his back. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that sometimes the pain is so bad I can't even think straight for awhile, let alone remember if I've had nightmares." Yoh replied. "I've got bigger things to worry about than keeping track of dreams."

"If you wake me up with your screams I'm going to hurt you." Hao threatened.

"Oh yes, threaten me over something I have no control over, you're so bad-ass." Yoh said scornfully. "Might as well beat me for breathing."

"Maybe I should. It's your fault-"

"Oh god this again." Yoh rolled his eyes. "You sound like a broken record. Repeating it over and over again is not going to make a difference. Deal with it."

"So you've given up?" Hao demanded angrily.

"Did I say that? No, otherwise I would be an X-Law myself, wouldn't I?" Yoh replied, a little more evenly. "I'm just telling you that I'm not going to budge and apologize for standing in your way and your repetition doesn't do any good, so it's not really effective to keep doing it, is it?"

Hao huffed, but Yoh was right. Going around in circles wasn't going to do him any good. He sat down, glaring at Yoh still. "What sort of thing can I expect during my torture?" He asked, getting right down to it.

"Beatings, whippings, burning, waterboarding, all kinds of stuff." Yoh replied. "They've got a whole bunch of medieval torture devices too, ever heard of the Pendulum?" He asked idly. Hao shook his head. "Basically your arms are tied behind your back and then elevated until your shoulders dislocate. It's very painful." Hao stared at him and Yoh smiled grimly. "And that's one of the more tame torture devices."

"Wonderful." Hao said sarcastically.

"Oh, they won't use the potentially deadly ones on you at first." Yoh said matter-of-factly. "They're going to want to draw this out as much as possible."

"And you haven't even tried to escape?"

"Who says I haven't?" Yoh retorted. "Tried a bunch of times in the beginning, but now I just don't have the strength, which is part of the reason he keeps us starved, so we're easier to deal with."

Hao swore angrily. Yoh didn't even react to it. All the sudden they heard a door close somewhere and footsteps coming towards them. Hao stood up as Marco came into view, swinging a pair of handcuffs. Hao glared at him.

"Time for your punishment to start." The blonde man said, unlocking the cell. As he did so Hao lunged and tried to attack Marco. A jolt of painful electricity knocked him back a couple steps. Marco grinned and tazed him again, forcing him to his knees as crippling pain flowed through him. Handcuffs were clipped around his wrists and he was forced to his feet and led away.

%&%&%&%

Yoh was unsurprised to hear no screaming the entire time Hao was being tortured. Of course Hao would be too stubborn to scream, to let any indication that he was in pain show. Yoh should have told Hao that if he did scream it usually meant the pain wouldn't last as long, but Hao probably wouldn't listen to that either.

He perked up as the door at the end of the hall creaked open. Hao was shoved back into the cell. He stood there, panting softly until Marco left and then seemed to fold into himself, crumpling onto his side and curling up into a ball.

Yoh crawled over to Hao and put a hand on his head. "Don't touch me!" Hao growled. Yoh retracted his hand, staring at the bloody welts on Hao's back. Marco had gone easy on him for his first time. Only a couple actually bled.

"Try to relax." Yoh advised gently.

"Relax?" Hao repeated.

"I mean, try not to tense up, it will make the pain worse." Yoh explained. "Try to relax your muscles as much as you can. I know the pain is bad, but it will get easier to bear."

"Oh really?" Yoh could tell Hao was clenching his teeth quite hard.

"Here, just try to focus on my voice, don't focus on the pain." Yoh instructed.

"Your voice is painful." Hao growled.

"Now you're just being childish." Yoh said, rolling his eyes. He reached out and rubbed Hao's shoulder, ignoring his growl.

"Well, you're a lot less snippy now." Hao commented.

"You're not giving me much of a reason to be snippy." Yoh replied. "Anything you say right now I can dismiss as the pain talking."

"Oh, how nice of you." Hao said sarcastically. Yoh couldn't help but chuckle. Hao was working past the pain it seemed. Hao of course had no idea how disheartening it was to be chucked back into an empty cell, in pain, humiliated, scared and angry. It was easier to deal with when there was someone to help you, though Hao probably would have rather have been left alone to deal with it.

Yoh decided not to tell Hao that Marco had been going easy on him, that would only make him mad. "How's the pain now?"

"It was never that bad to begin with."

"Liar." Yoh snorted. "You're forgetting I've already gone through what you are right now. It stings and it burns, doesn't it?" Hao didn't answer him. "The worst thing though is the helplessness, the humiliation you feel."

"...Shut up." Hao hissed. Yoh backed off wisely. He didn't need more bruises to add the ones he already had.

"It only goes downhill from here." He said instead, with morbid cheerfulness.

"Thank you for that, you idiot, as if I didn't know." Hao snarled at him. "God, you're so useless."

"I'm useful enough to beat you." Yoh pointed out. Hao turned his head and glared at Yoh. Yoh was not even intimidated by the promise of pain in those eyes. He'd gone through so much pain. He'd been in more pain than Hao understood for the last little while. He'd know soon enough though.

"Lucky shot." Hao told him.

"Whatever makes you feel better." Yoh said glibly.

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Star: Review plz!


	3. Chapter 3

Star: I own nothing!

Hao couldn't sleep again, this time because of the pain. He yawned, really tired even though he couldn't seem to sleep. Yoh was awake as well, but he seemed to be staring blankly at the wall. Hao wondered how Yoh had managed to stay sane all this time if this kind of pain was normal. He was thirsty too, and licked at his dry lips.

"Don't expect any water any time soon." Yoh said, jerking Hao out of his thoughts. The younger twin was staring at him solemnly.

"Maybe I'll take the whole water bottle for myself next time." He sneered.

"You do that." Yoh said dismissively. "Have fun with my dead body."

Hao stared down Yoh but the younger didn't flinch or look away. There was something sort of frantic, sort of crazy in Yoh's eyes, and Hao got the feeling that Yoh wasn't completely mentally unscathed by his torture. Maybe not insane, not yet, but he was slowly getting there.

"You have no idea how long you've been here?" Hao asked curiously.

"No." Yoh said wearily. "I've been down in the dark so long I'm starting to think that the rest of the world doesn't exist anymore." Yoh let out an odd laugh that made Hao's skin prickle. Yoh looked up at the ceiling. "I miss the stars." He said longingly.

Hao looked up too and then nodded his head, yawning. It was only his total exhaustion that made him agree visibly with Yoh, though he did miss the stars. They always calmed him a little, centered him, and helped him sleep. Without realizing what was happening Hao found himself drifting off...

He screamed, coming into pain-filled wakefulness as cold salt water was thrown over him. He heard Yoh scream as well. He tried to sit up, but then found himself pinned to the ground. He turned his head and watched as Yoh was handcuffed and led out of the cell by Marco. As soon as the cell was locked the pressure pinning him down lifted.

He struggled to sit up, wet, cold and in pain now. He gritted his teeth and lowered his head, trying to relax and ignore the pain. His efforts were cut short by a scream of pain. His eyes shot open and he stared towards the end of the hallway. A couple minutes, or what felt like a couple minutes passed, and another scream came.

The pattern repeated several times and then there was silence. Hao stepped away from the cell bars as Yoh was half-dragged back to the cell and thrown in, curling up on the ground almost immediately. Marco smirked nastily at Hao and then left them alone.

Hao glanced at Yoh, who was gasping softly in pain. He could see no new injuries on his exposed back. He walked over to Yoh and roughly turned him over on his back. Yoh groaned and Hao snorted in contempt at the circular burn marks that dotted his chest and stomach.

"All that noise over this?" He demanded. "How in the hell did you survive in the tournament with such a low pain tolerance?" He mocked. Yoh just laughed at him.

"I can handle pain just fine, I'm just smart." His words were slightly slurred. "Marco wants to hear screams, think the sadist gets off on it, but the more I scream, the less pain he'll put me through. If I don't scream, it seems to make him mad. Which is why I find it odd he went so easy on you."

"What?" Hao demanded.

"Whoops, I said that out loud." Yoh let out a worrying giggle.

"What do you mean, he went easy on me?"

"The first torture session I had with him, when he was done with me, I couldn't see straight thanks to blood loss and pain." Yoh replied. "I hadn't screamed. So if preserving your dignity is more important to you than preserving what little health you have, I wish you all the best and look forward to seeing you in Hell."

"Alright, so it's a clever idea." Hao said grudgingly.

"Funny how it was the so-called idiot and not the genius Onmyōji who came up with it." Yoh taunted.

Hao growled at him, but Yoh just continued to stare at the ceiling. "Does he do the salt water thing often?" He asked.

"Oh yeah, that was a fun wake-up, wasn't it?" Yoh said in a sarcastically cheerful tone. "It's kind of good though, actually."

"How?" Hao demanded sceptically.

"Salt water cleans the wounds, kills bacteria. Unless of course you want infected and possibly gangrenous limbs?"

"How do you know about that?" Hao asked in surprise. Yoh shifted and glared at him.

"As much as you seem determined to believe me to be an idiot with no brain, I am actually intelligent, thank you very much." He said reproachfully. "Just one of the many things you can't seem to get through that thick skull of yours." Hao raised a fist in anger. "Yeah, go on, hit a guy when he's down." Yoh jeered.

Hao lowered his fist and scooted back a little, trying to rein in his temper. It was like Yoh was trying to bait him into doing something. Perhaps he was in a way, maybe not realizing it, but Yoh was in a lot of pain, and there didn't seem to be any escape...

Yoh's eyes followed him, gloomy exhaustion stark in his face. "I'm sorry." He murmured. "That wasn't fair of me. I don't know why I said it." There was almost a plea in Yoh's voice. Hao suspected Yoh knew that he was slowly going mad.

"If you're as smart as you claim to be, why haven't you come up with a way to get out of here?" Hao asked snidely.

"I've tried." Yoh said, turning his head to stare at the ceiling again. "When I'm lucid, when the pain and hunger's not too bad. The big problems are that I have no idea where I am, and I'm not strong enough to overpower Marco or run." Yoh explained dismally. "By this point escape is not an option, and I'm losing hope that any sort of rescue is coming."

"Well, you may have no chance in hell of escaping, but I do."

"I wish you all the luck then, send me a postcard when you get out." Yoh said disinterestedly.

"What about you?" Hao asked, surprised that Yoh hadn't begged to be taken with.

"Ha, you're going to take me with you? That's funny." Yoh let out a jagged, mirthless laugh that set Hao's teeth on edge. "Me, who's weak from fever and hunger, who can barely walk more than twenty feet without feeling like I'm going to collapse? That's a good one."

It was true; hauling Yoh along with him when he was trying to make a quick getaway was hardly wise. But, the fact that Yoh thought so little of him, that he would be that callous actually kind of...hurt. Yoh turned his head to look at him again.

"You use people, Hao." Yoh told him, as though Hao had voiced his thoughts aloud. "You don't even see a person when you look at me do you? All you see is a pawn, and when I become useless to you, you'll throw me away, just like everyone else." The statement cut him, and he bristled indignantly.

"Don't presume to understand the way I think." He snarled. Yoh coughed thickly.

"Goodnight Hao." He said instead of arguing, closing his eyes. Within moments his breathing had deepened, sounding like raspy gasps. Hao huffed to himself, shaking his head. How could Yoh just fall asleep like that when he was in pain, and for that matter in a dirty, stinky dungeon where every minute was spent waiting for the next time.

Yoh wasn't wrong, that was the problem. He never really thought of Yoh as a person. Why should he? Yoh was just his other half after all, wasn't he? Where did the kid get off acting so righteous anyways? It was only because of Hao that Yoh existed, Yoh should be grateful to him!

Hao cocked his head, regarding his sleeping twin critically. He looked worn, but peaceful in his sleep. Hao wondered what it was that Yoh had nightmares about, why Yoh would even have nightmares. He supposed he didn't know Yoh all that well. What did he need to get to know Yoh for?

If he thought about it, it was more Hao's fault that Yoh was here. If not for Hao, the X-Laws would not exist. So, it was a little bit perplexing that Yoh had been so concerned about his well-being after his torture and that he wasn't more antagonistic towards him.

Absentmindedly he reached out and placed his hand on Yoh's forehead. Yoh jerked his head and whimpered in his sleep softly. Hao retracted his hand, rubbing it on his boxers. Yoh had a fever, a low one, but there was one there. He didn't know why he'd done that, but he shook his head and leaned against the wall, concocting plans in his head.

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Star: On a semi-related note, I just discovered Pottermore and signed up XD. So if my updates are a little longer in coming than usual, that is why. I'll do my best not to get too distracted, but it is Harry Potter. Review plz!


	4. Chapter 4

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh was still sleeping when Marco next came for Hao. As he opened the door Hao backed away, trying a different tactic, getting his back against the wall. Marco merely chuckled cruelly and took something off his belt. It was a long cattle prod.

Hao growled and tried to edge away but there was nowhere to go. The cattle prod sent a jolt of painful electricity through his body and he collapsed under its influence, knees giving out. As he knelt there his arms were wrenched painfully behind his back and cuffed. He gritted his teeth as a hand tangled in his hair, pulling him to his feet.

As he marched out of the cell he saw Yoh waking up. The younger gave him a look of stony comprehension; whatever was about to happen was going to hurt a lot worse than the first time. He was dragged into the 'torture chamber' and his wrists were released and then chained in front of him to the floor, so that he was kneeling.

"Couldn't even get me to scream last time." Hao taunted. "What's the matter, you scared of me?"

Marco smirked at him, moving around behind him where Hao couldn't see. "Oh, that was only a warm-up. You'll scream and you'll beg, I guarantee it."

"So far you haven't managed to impress me." Hao said with a snort. He wasn't about to give into this zealous, self-righteous madman. He certainly wasn't about to beg either. Marco could do whatever he wanted and not get a peep out of Hao. He'd gone through Hell itself for god's sake!

As he was thinking, all the sudden there was a loud *CRACK* and Hao felt the flesh of his back being ripped open by several sources. He clamped his mouth shut, breathing hard through his nose. It'd felt like a whip, but multiple whips with sharp pieces in them.

As he was recovering from the first lash another came cracking down on his back, ripping him up more. He clamped his teeth together, biting down on his tongue. He could taste the metallic tang of blood in his mouth as whatever was tearing him apart came down on his back again and again.

He could feel blood seeping down his back. He was becoming dizzy, both from the pain and from blood loss. He refused to allow the scream that was trying to force its way up his throat escape him. He would not scream, he would not break, even though it felt like his back was being ripped to shreds.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to him, the lashing stopped. His whole back felt like it was on fire, and he panted harshly, trying to bring the pain under control. There were growled curses of frustration and pants of exertion from behind him. It seemed that Marco had flagged before he could break.

Hao closed his eyes against the onslaught of agony that plagued him and did not fight as his wrists were unshackled and then shackled behind his back again. His arms rubbed against the raw, bloody meat that seemed to be his back and he bit back a moan of pain at the sensation.

His unconsciousness receded until he was barely aware of what was happening. His legs could barely support him as he was dragged out of the room and back to his cell. He was thrown in and caught himself on his hands just barely. His vision swam dizzyingly and he waited to pass out, welcomed the oblivion of darkness.

And then cold water was thrown over him and he arched his back, screaming in agony as salt stung in the wounds. He collapsed in a heap, the roaring in his ears not quite able to drown out the sound of Marco's mocking laughter. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think.

There was nothing but agony. He didn't know where he ended and the pain began anymore. He struggled to take in air, but he could only gasp like a fish out of water. A hand touched his head and he tried to jerk away from the touch, but it was gentle.

"Breathe, Hao." He couldn't remember who that voice belonged to, but they sounded kind. He reached out, grabbing at the hands that were so gentle and soothing, clutching desperately at them. "It's okay, it's going to be okay." The voice soothed. The low, calm voice followed him into the dark as he finally fainted dead away.

%&%&%&%

Wakefulness returned slowly, bringing with it the burning, agonizing pain he'd escaped. He blinked open his eyes and tried to sit up. A gentle, but firm hand pushed him back down. "Stay down." His brother's voice begged. Hao struggled against it for a moment and then went limp; he didn't have the strength to fight against anyone at the moment.

He heard a sigh and then a pair of hands wrapped carefully around his waist and helped him sit up so that his side was leaning against Yoh's side. Every motion hurt like hell. He lowered his head and tried to breathe normally, trying to block out the pain. A hand gripped his chin gently and a water bottle placed at his lips.

"Drink it slowly." Yoh ordered quietly. Hao resisted the urge to gulp greedily and took little sips, the warm water easing his sandpaper-dry throat. He felt sick and weak. He became aware that he was leaning against his other half and tried to sit up on his own. He failed miserably. Yoh caught him before he crashed and set him so that he was lying down on his side on the ground. Hao glared up at him.

"If you taunt me-"

"I wouldn't." Yoh interrupted. His voice was low and sad. "I may be a smart-ass, but I'm not cruel. You should know that." He added, sounding hurt.

Hao did know that. Yoh couldn't even crush a spider, could he? He was silent for a long moment. "How long do you think I was out?"

"More than a day, I think." Hao detected a faint tremor in Yoh's voice.

"What's the matter with you?" He snapped. He expected Yoh to snap back, but instead soulful, tormented eyes stared back at him.

"I thought... I thought you were dying." Yoh admitted in a small voice. Hao just stared at him, startled. "You wouldn't wake up, and you had a fever and you were just so pale..." The words tripped over each other on their way out of Yoh's mouth.

"Why would you care?" Hao demanded. "More food for you, more water for you, why would you care at all about whether I lived or died?"

Yoh let out a low sigh. "If you don't understand it, I don't think I can explain it to you." He told Hao dismally. Hao growled angrily.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Well, I know you're not dying now if you're being this antagonistic." Yoh snapped, his attitude returning. "At least you'll probably be left alone for a couple days."

"How do you figure?" Hao demanded, trying once again to sit up, but failing miserably.

"Marco was looking pretty worried last time he came down. I think he realizes he got a little out of hand." Yoh paused. "Since you're obviously feeling better, I will now say that maybe next time you'll actually listen to me, hmm?"

Hao growled at him, but he had to admit, this wasn't something he wanted to repeat, ever. Though, Marco would probably never go to this extent again, not if he wanted to keep Hao alive. "How bad is it?" He asked, unable to see the damage. He could feel it, but only as a general, oh-my-god-my-whole-back-is-on-fire, kind of way.

"It's... bad." Yoh grimaced. "Basically you look like some enormous creature has been clawing at you."

"Wonderful." Hao stated.

"You'll be permanently scarred." Yoh informed him.

"Once I have my powers back I can heal myself, unlike you." Hao snarled.

"Must be nice not having to worry about injuries like us mere mortals." Yoh replied sardonically. "No wonder you have such a swelled head."

"If I was able to move..." Hao warned. Yoh merely snorted and tried to ease himself into a comfortable position leaning against the wall. Hao knew what that meant. "Don't you dare go to sleep!" He ordered.

"I haven't slept since Marco dragged your sorry ass in here." Yoh retorted. "Since you're feeling alright enough to be hostile, I'm going to sleep."

"You-"

"Goodnight Hao." Yoh said, closing his eyes. Hao knew it was useless to try to prevent Yoh from sleeping. He fumed silently until a new thought occurred to him. Yoh had been worried, Yoh had been afraid, enough to forgo sleeping in case he had died.

_It's only because he's scared to be alone. _His mind whispered to him. It was true, Yoh was afraid to be left alone in the dark, Hao could see it in his eyes. If he was going to be perfectly honest, the thought of being alone down here made him nervous too. Still, he felt a little bit touched that Yoh had worried enough that he lost sleep because of it.

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	5. Chapter 5

Star: I own nothing!

Hao didn't know if he'd slept or not or just fallen into a trance to escape the pain that burned like fire in his back. When he came back to himself Yoh was still asleep, jerking every so often and letting out weak, raspy coughs. He wondered how long his twin was going to last under these conditions. He was already clearly very weak...

He shook the thought out of his head. If Yoh died that could mean that he wouldn't have to share the water and food that was brought to them. On the other hand, they could very well leave Yoh's body to rot in here, like Yoh suggested. It would be all too easy for a mind subjected to dizzying dehydration and starvation to imagine some very frightening things with a corpse in the same space.

He touched his lips, wincing at the feel of cracked, raw skin there. He licked his lips, causing a stinging sensation. His stomach yowled with hunger, making him even more uncomfortable. How did Yoh relax enough to sleep at the drop of a hat? He didn't get his twin at all. Once again this train of thought also led to the question of how long Yoh had been there.

The heavy door somewhere slammed shut and Hao watched as Yoh's eyes flew open, instantly awake. As Marco opened the cell door Hao mustered the strength to sit up. Marco immediately kicked him in the back, sending him sprawling, biting back a cry of pain. Yoh was cuffed and led out of the cell and he was left alone.

He slowly sat up, waiting for the screams to come. But, it was silent. The silence started to make Hao nervous. He didn't like being nervous, it was a sign of weakness. But, as the time stretched on and he heard no sounds from his brother, he became very agitated.

Slowly the torture chamber door creaked open and Hao perked up. His heart gave a sick lurch as only Marco walked past his cell, not even acknowledging Hao. Stubbornly Hao didn't even try to get the blonde's attention, even though he wanted to know what he'd done with Yoh.

He worked to get himself to his feet, slowly, painfully. He panted, leaning against the wall for support. He hobbled to the bars of the cell and looked out, wondering if Yoh had simply been moved to another cell. He couldn't see anything, one hand wrapped a bar.

"Yoh?" He croaked out. He got no answer. He wasn't sure why he was expecting one. He licked his lips again, ignoring the sting the action caused. He stepped away from the bars and sat down again. He closed his eyes and swallowed thickly, trying to ignore the dryness of his mouth, the hollow hunger in his belly and the pain in his back.

It was a lot harder to cope without Yoh around, talking to him, helping him cope. He hadn't realized it until now. He wrapped his arms around his knees and breathed out slowly. Even the simple fact that Yoh was there had helped him, knowing there was someone...

He was starting to understand why Yoh had been so scared when he'd thought he was dying. The thought of being alone, feeling alone in this dark, hellish place was... frightening, even for him, even though he'd been through so much worse. He didn't want to be alone here, alone in the dark.

Time passed, he didn't know if it was minutes or hours, but it dragged on for what seemed like forever. Once he found the strength Hao took to pacing the small cell, agitated beyond his understanding. He was jumping at shadows, getting paranoid. He didn't like it, but he couldn't seem to relax.

He finally slept, but his dreams were filled with darkness and death and he woke up feeling as though he'd gotten no sleep at all. Maybe he hadn't. He had no idea of how time was passing. It could have been only an hour; it could have been a day. All that mattered to him was that Yoh had not been returned to the cell and the thought that he might be dead was making him twitchy.

He hated this, hated it with every fiber of his being. He shouldn't care so much, not about his idiot little brother. But, somehow, he did. He didn't like the idea of Yoh dead somewhere; his body just tossed somewhere to rot. It was a chilling thought, and what made it worse was the thought that he could wind up that way.

He must have fallen asleep again because he was jolted out of it at the sound of the heavy door at the top of the stairs opening. He sat up, but Marco completely ignored him, heading to the torture room. Hao waited apprehensively.

He heard Marco coming back, and the sound of laboured breathing. Hao felt his stomach unknot as Yoh was unceremoniously dumped into the cell. Marco locked up as Yoh curled up into a small ball, trembling slightly.

Hao moved forward as Marco left them alone. There was a gash across one of Yoh's cheeks and what looked like shallow puncture wounds dotted here and there on his body. His eyes were open, but they were glassy and unseeing.

"Yoh?" Hao whispered. Yoh gave no indication that he'd heard Hao's voice. Hao edged closer and put a hand on Yoh's head. Yoh flinched at the touch, uttering a small moan. Hao drew back and watched as the glassy eyes started to slide closed. Then Yoh twitched violently, his eyes opening wide again. Hao frowned in confusion as the action repeated itself, over and over.

Whatever Marco had done, it was preventing Yoh from going to sleep. Hao watched silently as tears began to trickle down Yoh's cheeks. He swallowed thickly and moved forward again, ignoring Yoh's flinch when he touched his head. Gently he began to stroke Yoh's hair in a soothing motion.

He had no idea why he was going this. That wasn't right, he did know one reason; the silent, helpless anguish in Yoh's glassy, unseeing eyes pulled at him. He didn't want to see that expression, so he was doing his best to make Yoh go to sleep. It seemed to work; after a few minutes Yoh's eyelids were drooping and the twitching was dying away.

Soon Yoh was sleeping deeply, his breathing slow and raspy. Hao laid down with his back to Yoh, feeling utterly exhausted. The soft sound of Yoh's breathing soon lulled him to sleep...

**He walked through a forest of mirrors. The mirrors showed him scenes of his life, his battle with Faust, his run-ins with the X-Laws, all the bad moments of his life were reflected back on him. He walked, trying to escape, but the mirrors were endless. **

**The scenes changed and he saw his friends dying, or rejecting him out of hatred because of who he was, because of who his twin was. Fragments of broken glass tore at him as he ran, trying to escape the images. Blocking his path was a giant mirror. In it he could only see his reflection, but then it changed, and Hao's face smirked back at him. He screamed...**

Hao jolted out of sleep and sat up quickly, breathing heavily. Where in the hell had that dream come from? It didn't even feel like one of his dreams. He shook his head, trying to clear the slightly unnerving nightmare from his head and heard movement behind him.

He turned and felt a twinge of relief at seeing Yoh get up on all fours and shake his head back and forth, as though trying to clear it. He let out a groan and sat back, opening eyes that were slightly glassy, but sane at least.

"What the hell happened to you?" Hao demanded. Yoh blinked at him a couple times, still struggling out of dreamland it seemed. After a moment he spoke.

"Iron maiden." He croaked out.

"What did she do?" Hao asked, perplexed because he hadn't seen the little girl. Yoh shook his head. Horrified understanding dawned. "He put you in an Iron maiden?" Yoh nodded his head and lay back down on the floor, curling up a little.

"Thank you, by the way." Yoh said after a moment.

"For what?" Hao asked gruffly.

"Helping me fall asleep." Hao winced; he hadn't expected Yoh to remember that. It...embarrassed him. Yoh shifted and looked at him. "You know, I think I've changed my mind." He croaked out. "If you still want to kill me, go right ahead."

"Hmph, as if I'd end your pain while I have to be tortured." Hao said contemptuously. At his words Yoh's lips quirked up briefly in a tired smile. His eyes were closing again, his body giving into his exhaustion.

"Asshole." Yoh whispered. A moment later his breathing deepened as he succumbed to his fatigue.

Hao sat back, staring at his younger twin's peaceful face. It hadn't been a joke, not completely, what Yoh had said. The thought that Yoh might be giving, that he was finding the situation too hard to bear was worrying to Hao. As much as he hated to admit it, Yoh was like a beacon of light, an unfaltering pillar of optimism. If Yoh was giving up...

He shook the thought out of his head. He didn't like the way that idea was going. He would survive, he would get out of this mess...somehow. Unlike Yoh he didn't have much of a hope for rescue. While his followers were loyal, they were also mostly just opportunists, and they would not risk themselves against the X-Laws. Yoh's friends would go through heaven and hell to get him back, but so far they had not succeeded. So, where did that leave the two of them?

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	6. Chapter 6

Star: I own nothing!

Hao was starting to dread waking up only to stare at a moldy cell wall, knowing that he was still trapped in a dank, dark cell, his only company his brother. Although, he had to say, his brother was not terrible company, at least when he was lucid.

Hao sat up, ignoring his stiffness and looked at Yoh, who was still passed out on the floor. The dark circles around his little brother's eyes seemed to have deepened and his skin appeared paler than before. Was Yoh dying?

Yoh softly groaned and sat up, looking around disoriented. "Strange dream." He muttered, rubbing at the back of his head. "Was running through a field, towards a house. But then the house caught on fire, and I could hear someone screaming inside..."

Hao felt his insides go icy cold. How could Yoh have dreamt that? That was his dream, his memory. The thought of Yoh inside his head unnerved him. Something clicked inside his head and he realized that maybe the dream he'd had was one of Yoh's dreams, and somehow they were both accessing each other's dreams. The thought gave Hao the heebie-geebies.

"You okay, Hao?" Yoh asked, appearing in front of him.

"I'm fine." Hao snapped. Yoh wrinkled his nose.

"You could use a breath mint." He commented.

"I'm sure your breath is just as bad."

"Yeah, but I'm not the one breathing in your face." Yoh replied, smirking at Hao. Hao felt a little relieved that Yoh seemed to be in a better mood at least. His relief died when the bulb outside the cell flickered, and then went out, plunging them into complete darkness.

He heard Yoh let out a low, frightened whimper. To be honest the complete darkness unnerved him a little too. He jumped slightly when a clammy hand touched his arm and then gripped it. "Let go of me!" He ordered, trying to free himself from Yoh's hold.

"Please..." Yoh's voice was small. "I don't want to be alone in the dark. If I can't feel you, then maybe you're not real. Please."

Hao felt something inside him twist painfully and he relented, allowing Yoh to lean against him. His time in the iron maiden must have been more traumatizing than Hao had guessed. It made sense though, the fear of being alone in the dark, no way of knowing if the world around you is real or just make-believe. He leaned against Yoh too, feeling comforted just a little by the other's presence.

"I've never liked the dark much." Yoh admitted quietly. "At least, dark without stars or moon, you know?" Hao said nothing. "It just feels like emptiness, like there's nothing but you anymore, and I hate that. I hate being alone. Do you?"

"I've been alone for most of my life." Hao reminded him shortly.

"That doesn't mean you like it." Yoh protested. "It just means you're used to it."

"I've been alone for so long I don't know what it's like not to be lonely." Hao finally admitted. The darkness seemed to have loosened his tongue. The hand clamped around his arm squeezed lightly, probably in what was supposed to be a reassuring manner.

"I'm sorry." Yoh said quietly. "Funny how it's here that you're finally not alone." Yoh's laugh was bitter.

"Maybe." Hao said. He hadn't really noticed that he was no longer lonely. He was hungry, in pain, tired, angry and a little scared, but he wasn't alone. That little thought calmed him a little bit. "You fear the dark and being alone. Is that all?"

"No, I can't swim either." Yoh admitted, sounding ashamed.

"Why not?"

"I was almost drowned by a cruel prank some other kids played on me." Yoh replied. "I haven't really been in the water since."

"Did you at least get back at those who did it?" Hao asked.

"No." Yoh replied.

"Why the hell not?" Hao demanded angrily. This was what made Yoh so weak, that he would not take vengeance.

"I refuse to stoop to their level." Yoh's quiet reply rendered Hao speechless.

"What does that mean?" He asked finally.

"They hurt me because they were afraid, because they didn't understand. If I retaliated, I would be doing so out of fear as well, which put me on their level." Yoh explained. "I didn't want to be like them, so I didn't take revenge."

"How could you stand it though?" Hao demanded. "How could you go through life knowing they had gone unpunished?"

"It might have made me feel good for awhile, but I think in the end it wouldn't be very fulfilling at all." Hao felt Yoh rest his head on his shoulder. Hao thought about that for a moment. Revenge had been sweet for a short time, but he still felt angry and empty, even after all this time.

"It still seems like an empty cause to me, to turn the other cheek. You get people walking all over you if you do that." Hao protested.

"Do I get walked all over?" Yoh asked calmly. Hao thought about that for a moment. Besides Anna, and Hao was just sure Yoh was afraid of her wrath, people seemed to view Yoh as a leader, and not as a scapegoat or a follower. He never acted like he was spineless; he had a subtle aura to him, which, while it was gentle and kind, had a certain sense of quiet strength to it that deterred most bullies. "What scares you, Hao?"

"Nothing." Hao answered quickly.

"Now that I don't believe for a minute." Yoh said sceptically. "Everyone has fears of some kind. I told you mine, it's only fair that you tell me mine."

"Oh really?" Hao growled.

"Yes, really." Yoh replied pleasantly in return. "You really don't trust anyone, do you?"

"Trusting people has only led to pain for me." It had to be the darkness that was making him so talkative.

"So...you fear getting too close to people, and getting hurt?" Yoh suggested.

"I...I suppose so." Hao had never really thought of it that way. It made sense though.

"And yet you surround yourself with so many people." Yoh continued thoughtfully. "You don't want to be alone, but you don't want people to get too close either."

"Stop trying to figure me out." Hao snapped. "You can't possibly understand." Yoh was silent, and Hao could feel that Yoh felt hurt by his rejection. Hao felt a little bad, Yoh had spoken easily of his fears, baring his weaknesses to Hao, and Hao had repaid him by snapping at him. "Perhaps...perhaps you're right." He slowly admitted. "It's not really something I think about."

"That's okay." Yoh assured him, ever forgiving. They lapsed into silence, Yoh holding onto Hao and Hao leaning against Yoh. The closeness was truly reassuring. It was very easy to imagine in the total darkness that the rest of the world was an illusion, or that there was something waiting in the darkness for them. The grip Yoh had on him anchored him to reality and Yoh probably felt the same way.

Their connection was their lifeline, their assurance that there was someone else there in the dark with them. Hao could imagine it, like a thread keeping them together, binding them in a way. He shook his head, he didn't want to be bound to Yoh. The implication was that they were equal, but they weren't, Yoh was his lesser half. And yet...

Hao was having trouble holding onto his preconceived ideas of how Yoh was and how he should be. He had not been able to absorb Yoh's soul when he'd tried and Yoh was resistant to him and his ideas. Yoh should have been unable to resist at all, he should have agreed with the things that Hao said, and yet he hadn't. Yoh was completely foreign to him, and it had made him uneasy early on, though he was careful not to let on about that fact.

After some time, Yoh began to frighten him. The idea that he could be wrong, that he had misjudged, was not something that was familiar to him. He was Hao Asakura, he was a genius, but somehow, he'd been wrong about Yoh and that made him question himself a little bit.

He was giving himself a headache. He decided to stop thinking for a little bit. He focused on the feeling of Yoh's clammy hand gripping his arm weakly. By the deep sound of Yoh's breathing, the younger seemed to have gone to sleep. Hao rested his cheek on top of Yoh's head. It was funny, Yoh thought he was the only one being comforted.

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	7. Chapter 7

Star: I own nothing!

**He stood knee deep in the cool water, bending down to try to lift out an interesting-looking rock he'd spotted. Unseen hands pushed him forward and he fell into the deeper part of the river with a cry of startled fear. **

**His feet scrabbled for purchase on the riverbed, but there was none. His arms thrashed, trying to claw his way to the surface, but he only sank further down into the murky depths. The light from the world above dimmed as his lungs began to scream desperately for air...**

Hao jerked awake, gasping for air in complete darkness. His heart pounded like a drum as he struggled to separate dream and reality. He could breathe, he was not drowning. It had felt so real though, like something that had actually happened. Maybe it had.

As he calmed himself down he realized Yoh was no longer in contact with him. This sparked a fresh wave of panic. Desperately he searched around, becoming more agitated by the second. "Yoh?" He finally called, his voice hoarse and nearly unrecognisable as his own. "YOH!" He screamed.

"I'm here." Hao jumped as a clammy hand touched his searching hand. Fingers gently curled around his and he clutched at the hand that was holding his with desperation. "It's okay, I'm here." Yoh soothed, shifting closer so that they were pressed shoulder to shoulder. The sensation of clammy flesh and the sound of panting breath anchored Hao, keeping him in reality, preventing him from drowning. Yoh's other hand pressed Hao's head to his shoulder while he softly murmured comforting words.

Part of Hao rebelled against this weakness, told him to push Yoh away. The alternative, darkness without the physical link that Yoh's touch provided to the real world, was far too hard for him to bear. Not to mention how badly Yoh would be hurt by it, he was half-mad already. Besides, there was something about having Yoh there that made him feel at home, even in this horrible place.

"Some night, huh?" Yoh croaked out quietly with a raspy chuckle. The humour in Yoh's voice relaxed Hao even more.

"Yeah, I love waking up from nightmares." Hao replied sarcastically, prompting another raspy chuckle that ended in a series of hacking coughs that shook Yoh's emaciated frame. "Not dying on me, are you?"

"Not yet." Yoh's voice was grim. "Figured I'd stick around and bug you for a little longer."

"Of course you would." Hao muttered, trying to sound cocky. He felt relieved by Yoh's determination. Although, Yoh's resolve to stay alive for a little while longer complicated things for him; he wasn't sure if he could just leave Yoh to this terrible place when he escaped. He had no way of knowing if Marco would outright kill Yoh after he did so, or if he would mutilate him or simply keep him alive as bait. He wasn't sure if he wanted to take that chance. But, he couldn't take Yoh with him, Yoh would only slow him up.

"Hao?"

"What now?" Hao snapped half-heartedly.

"Do you think it still exists?" Yoh asked quietly.

"What do you mean?" Hao asked, feeling dread creep up his spine.

"The trees, the grass... the stars." Yoh said. "Are they still real?"

"Of course they are!" Hao practically yelled. "What kind of stupid question is that?" He felt Yoh flinch at his tone.

"Not stupid." Yoh muttered unhappily. "Been down in the dark so long, feels like forever sometimes. Maybe I'm crazy, feel crazy sometimes. I just wish that before I died I could see the stars, one last time."

"You're not going to die here." Hao growled.

"Don't lie to me." Yoh said scornfully. "We both know I'm not going to get out of here on my own power."

"I refuse to allow you to just give up." Hao snarled. He had no idea why the idea of Yoh dying sparked such wild emotions in him. All he knew was that he was sure not going to let Yoh die in this hellhole, not while he had some say in it.

"Careful, Hao." Yoh warned. "Someone might actually think you care." His chuckle had that slightly mad quality that made Hao's hairs stand on end. He opened his mouth to retort, but heard the heavy door somewhere above them boom as it opened. A growled curse reached his ears and then a few moments later a light was shined down the stairs.

He shoved away from Yoh, his pride getting the better of him. Yoh let out a low sigh, but made no other protests. He seemed to understand why Hao had done it. Hao winced and closed his eyes as a flashlight was shined into his face.

"Enjoying the darkness?" Marco asked unpleasantly.

"Your wit needs work." Hao snapped in reply.

"You should be more respectful to the one who holds your life in his hands." Marco snarled at him. "I may decide not to give you the food and water you probably so desperately need."

"I'll give you respect when you earn it." Hao snapped. "You're nothing but a schoolyard bully, there's no respect deserved there."

He knew it wasn't a good idea to bait Marco. He had no idea how long they'd gone without food or water. But, he refused to give in, refused to be brought to his knees by Marco of all people. He watched silently as a new light bulb was screwed in, the sickly light too bright for his eyes.

Marco shoved a small tin into their cell along with a full water bottle. Hao waited until Marco was gone to move forward. Yoh didn't move from his seated position by the wall. The sickly light of the bulb reminded Hao how ill Yoh looked. His cheeks seemed more sunken than ever and the dried blood from his wounds was stark against his ashen skin.

He turned away and looked down into the tin, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the gooey, brownish-grey mess in it. "What the hell is this slop supposed to be?" He demanded. Yoh crawled towards him and peered in.

"Looks like it might have been beef, once upon a time." He observed. "Truly a stupendous feast." He added sarcastically before going to sit back against the wall. Hao offered the tin to him. Yoh grimaced and shook his head. "Just the water."

"You'll die." Hao snapped. Yoh only laughed softly, humourlessly.

"We both know that I'm not going to be around long enough to die of starvation." He informed Hao. "You're the one with the shot at getting out of this place, you need to keep your strength up."

It was...reasonable, logical even, but even so it made Hao's heart flutter with anxiety. Yoh was giving up, giving into his death. It was somehow so wrong thinking that about Yoh, who always believed there was some way out, some way to win.

"I should force-feed you." He growled at Yoh. Yoh's eyes were flat and tired as he stared into Hao's eyes.

"We both know I'm not getting out of here alive." He said quietly. "But I want you to get out of here, I want you to survive."

"Why?" Hao demanded. He was starting to have something of an idea, but it was hard for him to wrap his mind around. Yoh stared at him silently, the hint of madness in his eyes unsettling him.

"You're starting to understand." Yoh told him. "I'm going to let you sort it out for yourself. I think that would be the best way for you."

"You're a pain in the ass." Hao huffed. He glared down at the disgusting mess in his tin and tossed the water bottle to Yoh. "I don't want to throw up my water, so I'm eating this first." Yoh nodded his head and sipped at the water while Hao worked up the courage to eat.

His stomach was still yowling with hunger, but bile rose in his throat as he fished out the putrid lump of slimy meat. He took a deep breath and shoved the whole lot in his mouth. He resisted the urge to spit out the slimy, squishy, cold, revolting meat and chewed quickly before swallowing. He heaved, struggling to keep from vomiting.

After a couple minutes he thought he had it under control. Yoh wordlessly held out the half empty water bottle to him. Hao sipped a little, letting the water rinse some of the nasty flavour from his mouth and put it aside to wait until he was sure he wasn't going to throw up.

"Wasn't that delicious?" Yoh asked, with wicked humour.

"I take it you've had similar?" Hao asked hoarsely.

"Yup." Yoh's voice was grimly cheerful. "Funny what you learn you can stomach when you're hungry enough, huh?"

"Yeah." Hao took another sip of water in a vain attempt to get the sickening flavour out of his mouth.

"Hao?" Yoh's voice was serious.

"What now?"

"I have a favour to ask you." Normally Hao would have scoffed, but Yoh looked so grim, so resigned that he nodded his head. "When you get out, and get strong again, I want you to promise me you'll come back here and make sure they can never hurt anyone again."

Hao stared at him, mouth agape. Yoh had essentially just given him permission, asked him even, to kill the X-Laws! Yoh, of all people! This place, this torture had really done a number on him and for the first time Hao was actually terrified of what was going to happen to them.

"I thought you hated killing." He said.

"Nobody likes putting down a rabid dog, but it's necessary. There's no reasoning with these people, and people are going to get hurt if they're not stopped." Yoh said in a whisper. "It's the only way. Please, promise me."

What else could Hao say? "I promise, Yoh."

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	8. Chapter 8

Star: I own nothing!

There was long silence after Hao made his promise to Yoh, partly because he was still fighting to keep his putrid meal down. It had done little to take the edge off his appetite, so hunger and nausea warred within him, adding to the constant pain he now lived with.

"I'm... I'm surprised Marco didn't drag one of us away." He commented.

"Sometimes he waits, lets me stew for a little while." Yoh replied. "It's worse, in a way, because you start to wonder what he's cooking up to do to you next. When you're all alone in the dark, the waiting can make you crazy." He paused for a moment. "Easier now that you're here. Got something more to think about."

"What's that?" Hao asked.

"You." Yoh said bluntly. "I can focus on you, keeps me grounded. I can wonder, speculate. Better than letting my imagination come up with torture methods, though that can be fun sometimes." Hao couldn't suppress a shudder at the thought. "Trying to figure you out has been a nice way to keep away the madness."

"And what have you figured out?" It came out a lot gentler than Hao had meant.

"I think you were hurt, a long time ago, by people you thought you could trust, so now you don't trust anyone, because you're afraid to get hurt again." Yoh said slowly. "Also, you're not as unfeeling as you try to pretend you are."

Hao bristled at the remark. "Then you don't know anything at all."

"Please Hao, I've been sharing your cell for the last little while, I've seen you get angry, get hurt, get scared. Don't tell me I'm wrong." Yoh demanded harshly. "Don't lie to me, you're no good at it." Hao stubbornly locked his jaw and looked away. "You're talking to a dead man, Hao, who am I going to tell?"

"We're shamans, death isn't the end and you damn well know it." Hao spat.

"You really think I'm going to stick around?" Yoh let out a mirthless bark of laughter. "After all this? All I want is somewhere peaceful that I can rest for the rest of eternity."

"Well, if anyone's earned that, you have." He hadn't meant to say it, but it had popped out anyways. Yoh's expression softened.

"Thank you, that's kind of you to say." He said softly. "That does remind though, I have one more favour to ask of you."

"What's that?" Hao asked suspiciously.

"When you come back to end it, if there's a body, can you take it back to my family?" Hao's heart dropped; here was another piece of proof that Yoh had indeed given up. "If there's not a body tell them... tell them something, let them know I'm dead, if they don't already believe I am."

"And what if you're alive?" Hao asked. Yoh stared at him and then began to chuckle, then laugh uproariously in a curious, maddened way. "I'm serious!" Hao shouted, annoyed and unnerved. "Marco could use you as bait!"

"Do you really... do you really believe he has that kind of restraint?" Yoh asked, still laughing. The sound was almost like screaming and Hao couldn't take it. He marched over to Yoh and slapped him across the face.

"Stop that!" He ordered. For a moment Yoh's eyes flickered with madness and then he slumped, looking dejected and scared.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me." He murmured.

"I do." Hao said grimly. "This place, this torture." He turned his back. "I'm beginning to wonder how long it will take me to go mad." Yoh didn't say anything to that, what was there to say?

"Your back's scabbing over, and there doesn't seem to be any infection forming." Yoh observed. Hao managed a small chuckle.

"And still you manage to find one ray of sunshine even in this dark place." He turned in time to catch Yoh's tired smile. "You're too kind to use anything I'd tell you against me, I should know that. I suppose... I could tell you a little."

"The world must be ending, Hao Asakura's willing to talk." Yoh said with ironic good cheer.

"Don't get too used to it." Hao said in the same tone. "I guess...I'll start with my mother. She was a shaman, like me, and was feared by most of the villagers. She didn't care, she loved them all the same, even when they trapped her in our house and set it on fire, I don't think she ever stopped loving them." Yoh's head tilted and his lit up with understanding.

"How old were you?"

"Barely more than a toddler." Hao replied.

"I'm so sorry. You must miss her so much."

"She probably wants to give me such a smack for everything that I've done." Hao said with a sad little laugh. "You remind me of her, a bit, in some ways. Part of the reason I didn't want much to do with you on a personal level, because it hurt."

"I think you'd shock a lot of people with what you just said." Yoh observed. "Some of my friends included. Most people seem to think you have no heart and can't be hurt like that."

"It's what I wanted them to think." Hao said bitterly.

"I knew something was there, people don't just shut themselves off from other people without reason." Yoh continued on, rambling a little bit. "I think Ren saw it a bit too, but he's a bit like you that way, doesn't really trust people that easy."

"Hm." Hao wasn't sure he liked the idea that someone had seen through his disguises, but then again, it was Yoh, he wouldn't do anything hurtful to Hao, even after all the pain he'd put him through. He felt bad about it now, but what was done was done, and Yoh didn't seem to be holding any grudges. "What about you? What don't I know about you?"

"There's not much, I mean, I'm not that complicated a person." Yoh said with a shrugged. He thought for a moment, chewing at his lip. "I think the biggest thing that I don't think anyone else knows is that I sometimes resent my family."

That threw Hao for a loop. "Why is that?"

"It's mostly my grandfather, really, because he's the one that calls all the shots." Yoh added quickly. "But, it's just... the only reason I was allowed to live was so that I could destroy you. I was being groomed for that one purpose alone."

"I take it finding that out didn't feel too good?"

"It was like a punch in the gut." Yoh whispered. "I started to wonder if they really cared about me at all. Then I realized it was just my grandfather who was so gung-ho about all this. He made me feel like if I didn't succeed in killing you, somehow I would have failed the family. And then there was the question of what happened after you were dead..."

"What, you thought they'd kill you?" Hao asked with some surprise. Yoh shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, that's the scary part." He admitted. "They know I'm supposedly 'your other half' and I think my grandfather actually believes that means something. What if he thinks I'm too dangerous? Will my family just go with it if he decides to have me killed?" He laughed hollowly. "Maybe it's a good thing I'm dying down here, at least my family can't betray me."

Hao looked away, unable to meet Yoh's eyes after the despondent tone with which he'd spoken those words. It was because of him that Yoh thought those things; it was because of him that Yoh hurt. Yet Yoh still had the kindness in his heart to comfort him when he was scared and hurt. Did he have the compassion to do the same? Hao didn't think he'd like the answer to that question.

"It's not all bad, Hao." Yoh said, as if responding to Hao's thoughts. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be alive at all, now would I?"

Of course Yoh would find the bright spot, and it was true, without Hao there would be no Yoh. "I suppose you're not as stupid as I thought." He said simply. Yoh laughed shortly, though this time it was actually with humour, and only a touch of madness.

"Coming from you, that's practically an 'I love you'." Yoh informed him cockily. "You going soft, Hao?"

"Ha, not likely." Hao retorted. Though, he had to wonder. He hadn't cared this much about what happened to another person in a long time. And as much as he tried to fight it, tried to squash down those feelings, he sort of didn't want to. "I want you to give me your word you won't tell any soul, living or dead, what I've told you here today." He didn't believe Yoh would say anything, but he wanted to cover his back, just in case.

"How do you know my word is good?" Yoh asked shrewdly.

"Because I know you're too honorable to go back on it."

"Alright, how about neither of us discusses what is talked about between us in this place, unless given permission by the other?" Yoh suggested.

"It sounds reasonable." Hao admitted.

"What happens in the dungeon, stays in the dungeon." Yoh intoned with dark humour and then coughed weakly. Hao couldn't help but chuckle back; it would be wise for him to keep his sense of humour in the days coming.

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Star: Review plz!


	9. Chapter 9

Star: I own nothing!

Hao woke up completely disoriented from a distorted dream of a burning house and drowning. He lifted his head and frowned slightly at the sight of Yoh lying back-to-back with him, not touching, but close enough that they could share body heat. He considered moving away, but Yoh was shivering slightly and he decided against it.

"Hao?" Yoh's voice was hoarse.

"I'm here." Hao replied.

"Good." Yoh said softly, apparently reassured. Hao wondered how much longer until Yoh died. Perhaps it would be kinder to help Yoh along, help him die. God only knew that Hao had killed enough people in the past. But, he couldn't find it in himself to do it now. He didn't want to be alone in the dark, he supposed he was selfish that way. "Not selfish." Yoh murmured, half-asleep.

Hao lifted his head and stared at Yoh's sleeping face. How had Yoh known? Had he read his mind somehow? It was an alarming thought, though not as alarming as Hao had thought he'd find it. Maybe, because it was Yoh, because Hao knew that he could trust Yoh.

The heavy door above them slammed and Hao sat up with a groan. He ached in places he didn't know could ache and he didn't think he was up for a torture session. When Marco came in however, it was Yoh who was taken, not him.

Hao was confused and worried by Marco's actions. Was Marco simply going to kill Yoh? It would be better for Yoh to have a quick death, but Hao doubted Yoh would be allowed that. Hao hoped that at least Yoh would be allowed to die with someone there to comfort him in his last moments. The thought that he was the only one there who fit that bill depressed him.

Suddenly he yelped in pain and put a hand to his face. "What the hell?" He growled out. It felt like he'd just been punched in the face, but the pain wasn't his. Another feeling of pain attacked his arm and he rubbed at it, feeling a sense of defiance mixed with anger and a touch of madness along with the pain this time.

It was then that he understood what he was feeling, not any of his own pain, but Yoh's pain. But how could he be feeling Yoh's pain like this? He flinched as he felt another blow hit Yoh, on his chest this time. Did it really matter how it was happening at this point? He just wanted it to stop happening!

He closed his eyes and concentrated, erecting barriers around his mind, trying to keep Yoh's pain out. He didn't succeed completely, but the pain Yoh was feeling faded to a slight background echo as opposed to making Hao feel like he was the one being beaten up.

After some time the torture room door opened and Yoh was dragged in, covered in purple black bruises. Hao had time to catch the knowing look on Yoh's face before he was forced to the floor, cuffed and dragged out of the cell himself. This was new; both of them being tortured in one day, Marco must have found some new energy.

Hao was led further into the torture chamber and uncuffed before being forced to sit in a hard steel chair. His wrists were strapped to the arms of the chair with cuffs that had small spikes inside them which drew blood when Hao pulled on them. His ankles were bound to the legs of the chair in the same manner.

Marco turned and grabbed something off the table. Hao knew what the odd contraption he held was; a Heretic's Fork. The metal rod with forks on either end was attached to a metal collar. Marco forced his chin up and one end of the rod was pressed into the underside of his chin and the other dug into his chest while the collar was fixed around his neck. He couldn't speak or move his neck. The forks were already drawing blood and between the Heretics Fork and the spiked restraints, he was already in pain.

"As much as I'd like to hear you scream, your sarcasm irks me." Marco stated, turning to a small bed of coals nearby. Hao was hardly paying attention though. He could feel something... he thought it was Yoh's mind, it certainly felt like him. Hao tried to block the contact, frightened by the implications this supposed bond had.

His control slipped and shattered completely as searing pain shot through his chest. He jerked at the pain, the spikes in the restraints dug into his wrists and ankles and the Fork dug into his chin, drawing more blood. Suddenly the agony seemed to decrease, as though it was being drawn off by some other source. Yoh!

Hao only had a moment to understand that Yoh was somehow taking his pain into himself before he was branded again, because it was really a brand in the shape of an X that was causing his pain. "Like that?" Marco hissed. "Doesn't feel good to be the one being burned, does it?"

Hao could only let out a muffled groan in reply. He now had one brand on his chest and another on his lower thigh. Marco brought another red-hot X brand to Hao's face. "Perhaps I should mark your face, hmm?" Hao tried to pull away, unable to contain the fear he felt. "No, not like anyone will see it, will they? No point in branding you facially if no one will be able to see your humiliation."

Hao groaned softly as he was branded on the upper arm, but the pain wasn't as intense as it should be, thanks to Yoh drawing off the pain for him. He was branded on the bottoms of his feet, and then on the palms of his hands. Marco then seemed to lose interest and released him from the Heretic's Fork. Hao tried to walk, but the brands on his feet made it too painful and he collapsed, allowing himself to be dragged along the floor back into the cell.

Almost immediately a calloused, clammy hand touched his back. Hao looked up into Yoh's bruised face. Both his eyes were swollen and black with shiners. More bruises littered his torso, arms and legs. Yoh must have been in pain, and yet he was focused on making sure he was alright, and had taken Hao's pain while battling his own.

Hao felt ashamed of himself. He'd focused on blocking Yoh's pain, pushing him away, but Yoh had welcomed Hao's, without a thought to his own pain. "You're..." Hao croaked out, resting his cheek against the floor again.

"Shh, it's alright." Yoh soothed. "I understand. You were scared."

"You weren't." Hao said.

"Yeah, I was." Yoh admitted. "I'm scared of what's happening to us. What is happening to us?"

"I don't know." Hao replied. "I think that's what scares me the most is I don't know."

"I think I know why it's happening now, though." Yoh said quietly. Hao lifted his head. "It's an empathetic bond, it's got to be, which means-"

"I know what it means." Hao replied softly. "I think you're right. It started happening when I started..." He swallowed, not sure if he wanted to admit it or not. "When I started to care." He didn't like it, that he cared. It would make it harder for him to leave.

"Try not to worry so much about it." Yoh said gently. "I'll be dead soon anyways, so it won't be a problem." The blunt surety in Yoh's voice hurt deeper than any burn, cut or bruise ever could. He tried to distract himself from the pain.

"How is it you seem to have a deeper bond with me than I seem to with you?" Hao asked. Yoh was better at figuring out matters of the heart.

"Probably because I'm more open to the concept. You fight it, and so you can't 'hear' as much as I do." Yoh replied. "Maybe also because I cared for longer than you have."

"How long?" Hao asked.

"I'm not sure...but it was after I'd met you a couple times, and realized how alone you really were." Yoh replied. Hao gave him a look of surprise. "I see and understand more than people like to think." A thought occurred to Hao, one whose answer he wasn't sure he wanted to hear.

"Yoh, you said the X-Laws suspected that you had made sure the blow you dealt me hadn't killed me... is there any truth to that?" Yoh was silent for a long moment, his dark eyes staring down into Hao's.

"Yes, I checked the blow, so that I wouldn't kill you."

"...Why...?" Hao asked, at a loss. Yoh just looked at him. Hao tried to relax, tried to ignore his natural impulse to shy away from any sort of friendly contact and opened his mind. It wasn't much, but he could feel Yoh's pain, the touch of madness in his mind, and more importantly, a soft, grieving affection for him alone. "You...you never hated me..."

"No, I never did. And killing you only added to the problem. I'd hoped that if I bought a little time, I could change things." Yoh laughed sadly. "Guess that plan kind of failed."

Hao lifted himself up onto his elbows, groaning softly in pain. Yoh helped him to sit up. "I'm not so sure it failed." Hao told

Hao lifted himself up onto his elbows, groaning softly in pain. Yoh helped him to sit up. "I'm not so sure it failed." Hao told Yoh, staring into his eyes. "It scares me how much I've grown to respect and care about what happens to you, and now this mental, spiritual connection... Part of me is telling me to back off, push you away..."

"So you don't get hurt again." Yoh suggested.

"Yes." Hao didn't bother denying it, what was the point? "The other part of me actually wants this, this closeness. It frightens me, but it's also somehow comforting. It means I'm not alone, even when I think I am."

"I feel that way too, funnily enough." Yoh said.

"I wonder... how far do you think this bond can progress." Yoh gave him a bleak look.

"I don't think it's going to matter much in the long run." He said softly. With those few words Hao found himself with a new fear; Yoh's impending death.

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Star: I own nothing!


	10. Chapter 10

Yoh watched Hao discreetly, seeing the way he stared at his palms, at the burned flesh in the shape of an X. _...branded..._ He heard Hao think. He could only really catch small snatches of thought here and there, along with traces of emotion. It had gotten stronger, and Yoh was certain he could 'hear' more if he tried, but he respected Hao's privacy.

Hao was battling himself, not sure how he felt about this new connection they had, that much Yoh was certain of. He would respect Hao's decision, whether to try and dissolve the connection, or allow it to stay and maybe grow stronger. It wasn't like it would matter much in the long run. He knew he was dying, slowly, to be sure, but he was dying.

He was considering now sticking around and helping Hao out when he did die, though he'd have to dodge Marco if he did so. The thought of Hao dealing with his half-crazed brother as his guardian spirit brought a slight smile to Yoh's face. Of course Hao himself was a little mad at this point too, wasn't he?

He glanced up at the sound of the dungeon door being slammed. It seemed that Marco had come up with a new torture technique very quick. Usually they were left alone a little longer, although Yoh had no idea if his sense of time was accurate or not.

Hao was almost docile as he was shackled and led away, but Yoh knew it was because he was hurt and tired that he did not fight. Yoh settled down and waited for the pain to start. Even if Hao was conflicted about their bond, Yoh was completely prepared to use it to help his brother. The less pain Hao was in, the greater chance he had at escaping before he became too weak.

He was unprepared for what happened next though. Not pain, but drug-addled terror washed through his mind through his link to Hao. Nightmarish images fought each other, twisting and molding into one terrifying nightmare.

With a gasp Yoh slammed the link shut, but not without a whispered apology to Hao. He panted harshly, keeping his eyes open to remind himself what was real. Hallucinogenic drugs had to be the answer. A cruel torture indeed, especially for a man like Hao, who had many different nightmares that he already struggled to contain.

Yoh wished he could help, but he was on his way to madness already. The tortured nightmares of his brother would send him over the edge; he knew that with utmost certainty. If Hao was being driven mad by these hallucinations, then it wouldn't help him if the only person who could bring him back had gone completely mad too, now would it?

Hao's torment went on a long time. At times his screams were loud enough that Yoh could hear them, the eerie terror making his hair stand on end. "Yet Marco calls Hao the monster." He scoffed aloud, his voice sounding weak to even his own ears. "At least Hao didn't torture his victims, he just killed them." He let out a cracked, maddened laugh. "Funny to say that's better, isn't it?"

He stopped laughing as the tumult he could just barely feel died into disoriented fear and pain. The torture chamber door opened and Yoh heard Hao moaning softly as he was dragged back to their cell. As he was dumped on the floor Yoh saw that many of the scabs on his back had cracked open and were oozing fresh blood and that there was blood under and around his fingernails, as though he'd been fighting to escape something.

Yoh went over and touched his shoulder. Hao reacted badly, eyes wide with terror as he scrambled backwards, hitting the wall. Yoh stared at him, seeing the unseeing look in Hao's eyes that told him that though the drugs may have worn off, Hao was still trapped in his nightmares. If so, then Yoh had to get him out.

He went up to Hao, who whimpered softly, trying to pull away. "Hey, it's okay, it's just me." Yoh said softly, taking Hao's face in his hands and staring into his disoriented black eyes. "Look at me, I'm here, I'm real. The rest of it isn't." He opened their link a tiny amount to send Hao soothing feelings, hoping to help him ride this out.

Slowly Hao's erratic breathing evened out and he stopped trembling. Yoh breathed a small sigh of relief as the dark eyes cleared and focused on him. He went to move away, but was stopped as Hao's hands came up to grip his wrists in a surprisingly powerful hold.

_No, don't let go. _Hao's 'voice' was barely above a whisper. _Yoh is real, hold onto Yoh, hold onto the reality. Yoh is real, pain is real, dark cell is real._ The softly whispered thoughts, so broken and unsure, broke Yoh's heart. aHao

Yoh pressed his forehead to Hao's and sent him every happy memory of his he could think of, hoping to draw Hao further out of the nightmarish prison the drugs had created. It seemed to work, Hao's grip on his hands became less painful and his erratic breathing eased a little. They stayed like that, connected mentally and physically, silent and still.

_...Not fair...not fair..._

Yoh's eyes opened wide at the softly whispered thought. He was startled to find tears, seeping from beneath Hao's closed eyelids and sliding down his cheeks. Through their link he could feel the pain of a soul that had been alone and had no true happiness for so long a time.

Yoh pulled his hands out of Hao's grip and instead wrapped them around his body, pulling him into a comforting hug. Hao grasped at him with a kind of desperation, softly sobbing. Yoh's heart clenched; damaged, was all he could think. Far more depressing was the thought that the only person who for sure would be willing to fix him was dying.

Yoh felt his own tears start as he held his brother, rocking him gently. He knew now that he would stay after death; his brother needed him. He vowed silently for Hao to 'hear' that he would not allow him to be alone anymore. That one simple thought seemed to do the trick, because Hao went limp in his grasp, the chaos in his mind dying away as he fell into a deep, comfortable sleep.

%&%&%&%

Hao woke up screaming from a distorted nightmare of fire, insects and pain. The world spun around him and he struggled to make sense of what was real and what wasn't. He flinched slightly as a pair of thin, frail arms wrapped around his shoulders.

_Relax, I'm here. _Hao felt most of his tension immediately leave him. He rested his head on Yoh's shoulder and closed his eyes. Yoh sent him an image of a calm lake to help him center himself. He focused solely on that image, pushing the hallucinations back. When he felt a little better he realized Yoh was apprehensively waiting for him to back off the mental contact, to throw his mental barriers back up.

_Thank you, Yoh. _He sent instead. He felt Yoh's surprised gratitude and though the idea of Yoh in his head still made him a little nervous, he felt a lot surer that allowing it was the right choice for both of them. It might even keep them both sane.

_Or drive us further insane. _Yoh countered with a chuckle. _He got you with some kind of hallucinogen, didn't he?_

_Yeah, and then stuck me in a room where all the walls projected images, frightening images._ Hao replied. _He wants me to break. He wants me so broken I'll beg for death, I just know it. I refuse to give him that satisfaction though. _

_You'd best hurry and find a way out of here, you're already getting weaker. _Yoh commented. _It helps that you're not having to share what little food is brought with me, but the torture, the hunger and the dehydration is starting to take its toll. You're more tired than you were, I can feel it. _

The more they talked like this, without words, the more natural it began to seem to Hao. Images sometimes accompanied the words, along with feelings. He knew this went the other way too and that Yoh would be able to feel what he was feeling, but for some reason that thought didn't seem too repulsive to him as it once would.

_You've changed. _Yoh told him.

_Hard not to. When you're in the dark the first thing you want is not to be alone. I trust you Yoh, maybe more than I should, but then again maybe not, right? _Hao felt Yoh smile at that. _All I know is, I don't feel so empty anymore, and I'd like to keep that feeling._

Hao felt Yoh's thoughts turn dark and to his inevitable death. Hao lifted his arms and wrapped them around Yoh so that they were sharing the embrace that Yoh had initiated. _I'm sorry, Hao. _

_No, I'm the one who's sorry. _It was in fact Hao's fault that Yoh was in this mess and in the end it was because of Hao that Yoh was dying.

_If it wasn't for this mess though, you wouldn't have found what you've been looking for all these lonely years, right?_

Hao shook his head and smiled. Good old Yoh, always able to find a ray of sunshine, no matter how dark things were. How could he have ever been so blind to Yoh's incredible compassion and optimism?

_You were too trapped in the dark, unable to see. It took being put into the dark to bring the light back to you... I'm becoming poetic, I really am going nuts. _

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Star: Review plz!


	11. Chapter 11

Star: I own nothing!

Hao didn't want to sleep. Yoh had gone to sleep, well it was more like he'd passed out really some time ago, but he still lay awake. He knew that the only thing waiting for him in his dreams was the chaotic nightmares that the drugs had created. He had no wishes to relive those again, not to mention the fact that his bond with Yoh would mean that he would experience them too.

He sat up and groaned, rubbing at his eyes. He was still having a little bit of trouble holding onto reality. The nightmares had seemed so real, it was hard not to think that he was just dreaming now, and the real world was the torturous place the drugs had created. He let out a breath and closed his eyes, beginning a silent mantra.

_I am Hao Asakura. I am trapped in a cell. Yoh is here with me, that is real...It is dark in here, that is real...I am in pain, that is real..._

Slowly he got himself under control and lifted his head to find Yoh staring at him calmly. He felt a gentle inquiry in his mind.

_I'm sorry if I woke you._

_It's fine. _Yoh assured him. _More worried about your sanity than sleep._

_I'll be okay as long as I can keep the nightmares at bay. _Hao shivered slightly. Yoh sat up and put an arm around Hao's shoulders, careful not to touch the still healing scabs on his back. Hao's heart clenched; he didn't want to lose his brother so soon.

_I'll be there, in life or death. _Yoh's silent promise was sure and strong, belaying the appearance of the gaunt, wasted boy who made it. _You need me._

_I do. _Hao felt humbled enough to admit this. Yoh would never make him feel less of a person for wanting help, he knew that very well. He understood now that admitting that you were weak was far more courageous than showing off what was strong about you. Yoh's silent approval of his new knowledge was like a mug of tea to his mind, soothing and warm. _Do you wonder how far this bond could go?_

_What do you mean?_

_I mean we can share thoughts, emotions, dreams, images, memories, pain. What if there's more? What if it becomes something we can't switch off?_

_That... doesn't sound too bad to me. _Hao could feel that Yoh was trying not to think about the fact that he didn't think he'd be alive long enough for it to get that far.

_Maybe you're right..._The heavy, resigned sadness of Yoh's mind made Hao feel depressed. What he wouldn't give to be able to rewind the time and stop this all from happening.

_Then where would we be? _Hao considered Yoh's question and shook his head. Stuck in the same rut, never finding the peace he so desperately sought, because he was looking in all the wrong places. As painful as his imprisonment here was for both of them, Hao knew in some way that it had to happen. He just wished that Yoh didn't have to be sacrificed in order for him to discover how to find happiness again.

His and Yoh's thoughts were cut short by Marco coming downstairs. Hao's weary gloominess was only enhanced by Yoh's similar feelings. Marco shoved a tin and a water bottle through the bars. Hao and Yoh both radiated relief, until Marco didn't leave, but leaned up against the far wall, smirking at them.

"Eat and drink, or I'll just take it away again." He told them. Hao felt the urge to make a cutting remark, but Yoh sent him a soothing feeling, keeping him calm. He dragged the tin to him and with revulsion realized that it was more of the rancid beef, which looked even more disgusting than the last time, if that was even possible.

He glared at Marco, whose smirk merely grew more malicious. Hao knew he had to eat it. He swallowed his pride; he still had the painful reminders of what holding onto that pride could do to him, and upended the whole thing into his mouth. He forced it down, fighting the urge to vomit the whole time and dropped his head between his knees, breathing through his nose until he was sure he could keep it down.

Yoh shoved the now half full water bottle at him, looking slightly green. _That was disgusting, even only getting the sensations second-hand._ Hao sent a silent agreement to him and gulped down the water, trying in vain to get rid of the taste and the layer of slime that seemed to coat the inside of his mouth and throat.

The door of the cell was unlocked and Hao looked up in time to see that Yoh was the one going to get tortured today. To his, and Yoh's surprise, Marco started leading Yoh towards the stairs that would lead him out of the dungeon. Hao felt a surge of fear from Yoh as he was half-carried up the stairs. Hao reacted to the fear with fear of his own and stood to press himself up against the bars. Yoh's terrified, deathly pale face was the last of his brother he saw before the door slammed again.

Yoh's thoughts and feelings began to fade until Hao could no longer feel Yoh at all. _Yoh? _The lack of any sort of answer sent Hao's fear to new heights. _YOH! _When there wasn't an answer at all Hao let out a cry of despair and then clamped his hands over his mouth, eyes wide with horror. Had he actually just made that sound?

He was distressed by this turn of events, he was perfectly willing to admit that. What reason could Marco have for taking Yoh upstairs? In his agitation he began to pace, much like he did when Yoh had been trapped in the iron maiden. This time it was so much worse though, as he was much more attached to his brother than he had been then.

He sat down heavily, having worn himself out by pacing. Was Yoh dead? He wouldn't know, would he, even if he was. Although Yoh had promised to stay, so he couldn't be dead. Then the idea that Marco could have enslaved his soul occurred to him and his agitation grew anew. He dearly hoped his fears were wrong.

The time dragged on as he sat alone in that cell. He'd never felt uneasy being alone before, but now, not having Yoh there, his thoughts a constant undercurrent in his brain, made him very uneasy. It was strange how fast he'd grown to accept and even enjoy the connection the two of them had, but then again it offered the affection and companionship he had been starved of for so long.

He had no idea how long he was alone, though it seemed like forever. He refused to sleep, lest he wake up and find Yoh dead or his nightmares drove him mad without Yoh to help him find his way back to reality. For the first time since he was a small child who had lost his only family, he felt lost. And for the first time in probably equally as long, he began to pray.

He prayed to no deity in particular, his was only a plea to anyone who would listen to protect not him, but his brother. Eventually a feeling of tired peace stole over him and he relaxed a little. Eyelids drooping he began to succumb to the siren call of sleep.

His eyes shot open again as he felt Yoh's thoughts once more. He felt joyous, and then apprehensive, feeling how disoriented and weak Yoh was. This time Yoh really was dragged into the cell; it seemed he didn't have the strength to stand. Marco threw Yoh at Hao, along with a full water bottle that was somewhat bigger than then ones they'd been receiving.

Hao ignored the water for the moment and rolled Yoh over onto his back, avoiding the nasty sunburn on his shoulders. Yoh groaned softly in protest. His eyes were half open, dull and confused. His breath came in rapid pants and his skin was hot, liking he was burning up.

Hao snagged the water bottle and lifted Yoh's head into his lap. _Drink, please drink. _Hao tipped the mouth of the bottle down Yoh's throat, heartened by Yoh's greedy gulps for the lukewarm liquid. As much as Hao wanted Yoh to have it all, he finished off the other half of the bottle.

_Hao..._ Yoh's 'voice' was very weak. Hao shuddered as memories surged through him. _Up the stairs, take a left, no one else inside. Big front doors lead out to lawn surrounded by forest. No walls to keep things in and out. _Hao realized that Yoh was giving him the information he needed to escape, but Yoh wasn't done there.

Hao felt tears spring into his eyes as Yoh gave him the memories of the night's sky that he saw while tied to a post outside. Hao hugged Yoh gently, sobbing softly. _Thank you, Yoh. _Yoh's lips curved up in a faint, tired smile.

Hao wished he'd saved some water, to cool Yoh's fevered brow. He could do nothing but hold his brother close. This was it, Yoh was really dying now. _Please don't let go of me, I don't want to be alone._ Yoh's silent plea broke Hao's heart.

_I'm here, you're not alone. I won't let you go. _He found Yoh's hand and held it gently, feeling Yoh's fingers curl weakly around his. _I'm going to get out of this, and then I'm going to make sure they can't do anything like this again, do you understand? _

Yoh looked up at him, dark eyes glassy and far away as he smiled. _I know you'll keep your promises, aniki. _Hao gasped in surprise at the word. _Don't worry, I'm not going yet, but I'm tired..._

_Go to sleep Yoh, I've got you. _Hao listened to Yoh's breathing grow deeper and easier. Fatigue dropped on his shoulders and he yawned widely. He didn't mean to, but he wound up falling asleep sitting there, Yoh's head in his lap and their fingers entwined.

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	12. Chapter 12

Star: I own nothing!

Hao jerked awake, sweating and breathing heavily. He had no idea what had woken him up. He stared around the cell, his back and neck sore from the position he'd slept in, feeling fuzzy-headed and nauseous. He slowly became aware of fingers curled lightly around his, cold fingers.

His head snapped down and he stared down at Yoh. _Yoh?_ He got no answer. Shaking and prodding his brother had no effect either. He wasn't dead, the soft, barely audible gasps for air were proof of that, but he seemed to be in a coma. Their connection was intact, but Hao could just barely feel Yoh, and Yoh was not responding to anything even on a subconscious level.

"Dying." Hao barely recognised the cracked, dull voice that rang out in the cell as his own. He gathered Yoh into his arms and buried his face in his hair, not caring how he looked. He squeezed his eyes shut and tears seeped out and slid down his cheeks. Yoh's skin was cool, almost cold, as though he were already dead.

The gift of the stars that Yoh had given to him played in his mind once more, at once calming him and mocking him. He frowned slightly, the stars were familiar to him, very familiar. They were the same stars that wheeled over him while he was a Patch in his second life. They were in America... close to the Patch. Marco must have wanted to stick close in case the tournament started again. It was good, it gave him a chance.

_We'll get out of here. _He silently promised, hoping that even in his comatose state that Yoh could still hear him. _I'm not leaving you behind, no matter what. Even if I have to carry you a thousand miles I'll get you out of here, I'll get you help. I will not let you die without a fight. _

He didn't lift his head as footsteps came down the stairs. Hands grabbed his arms and he began to the struggle against Marco's hold. He was pushed facedown to the ground, laughably weak compared to Marco, and handcuffed. Marco dragged him to his feet and forced him to march. He fought still, but to no avail.

"You call me the monster." He snarled at Marco as he was led through the torture room. "You know Yoh is a good person, you owe him your life, and yet you torture him, you kill him slowly."

"At least he got to see the sun, didn't he? Even if he was stuck in dangerously hot weather with no shade or water for two days." Marco smirked at him. "He was always yours, and that meant that he must be destroyed too. How weak you've become already. I doubt you'll last as long as he has."

Hao was pushed down onto a table that he hadn't seen before. His wrists were un-cuffed and then re-cuffed above his head. His ankles were cuffed together and attached to a chain as well. Marco meandered over to the side of the table and pulled a crank. Hao groaned as the chains attached to his cuffs pulled tight, stretching him on the table; he was on a Rack.

Marco turned the winch again, stretching his arms and legs even tighter. His muscles protested the pain. Tighter and tighter it was pulled, the pain becoming agony. Hao's consciousness shrank until he was in a strange place of almost no pain and crystal clear clarity of mind. He knew how to get out of this; he only hoped he could stay conscious long enough.

He let his grunts of pain grow louder as Marco worked until he was crying out in pain. Finally he let out a low scream and let his eyes roll back in his head as he went limp, looking for all intents and purposes like he was unconscious. He heard Marco snort and then he was slapped in the face. He made sure not to react, to let Marco think he really was unconscious.

After what felt like an eternity Marco loosened the cuffs and dragged him off the Rack. Hao moved then, kicking out and catching Marco in the shin. Marco let out a bark of pain, but didn't go down as Hao had hoped. Hao grappled with the arm holding him, but pain exploded in his temple and he let go, falling to the ground. Fighting the pain and blinking through blood that oozed into his eye he kicked out again, this time toppling Marco. He wasted no time and laced his hands together, lifting them over his head and bringing them down on Marco's temple while he was still dazed. The cold blue eyes rolled back and Marco went slack.

For a moment Hao just sat there, panting softly. He felt dizzy, ill and his muscles screamed in agony from the Rack. He would have loved to kill Marco right here, but time was of the essence. He took the ring of keys off Marco's belt and stood up, ignoring his muscles' protests, groaning softly.

He limped out of the torture room and to the cell, unlocking it and dropping the keys on the floor. _Come on Yoh, time to go. _He lifted Yoh's prone body, whimpering softly in agony and draped him across his shoulders like the carcass of a deer. He slowly made his way to the door, every step sending stabbing pain through his entire body.

By the time he made it up the stairs he was also battling nausea along with dizziness and pain; he suspected he had a concussion. He shook his head, moaning softly as fresh pain throbbed in his head and turned left, seeing the large doors just ahead of him. He pushed them open with a hand that shook, the other holding Yoh steady, and hobbled outside, casting a worried glance behind him.

The light of the sun was almost blinding and Hao had to close his eyes a moment as black spots danced in his vision. He opened his eyes a sliver and allowed his eyes to adjust before cautiously venturing forward again. He made his way quickly to the edge of the thick forest that surrounded what Hao realized was some kind of old fort.

Safe in the darkness of the forest Hao paused, panting softly. He had no idea where he was going. "Please." He begged softly. "Just let me get him help." He had no idea who he was talking to, but he knew that probably no one would listen. He was too damned for any benevolent deity to want anything to do with him. He willed his shaking legs to move, taking them deeper into the forest.

_Hold on, Yoh, hold on. _He silently willed Yoh to stay alive, trying to send Yoh some of his own energy when it felt like Yoh was slipping away from him. He moved almost blindly, unmindful of the brambles that tore his feet and legs as he walked.

His nausea grew steadily, despite Hao's attempts to force it down. Finally he sank to his knees with a moan and leaned over to throw up. He dry-heaved, wavering unsteadily on the brink of unconsciousness, his pulse beating dully in time with the throbbing in his head. He whimpered softly, but forced himself to stand again and keep moving.

The sun couldn't penetrate through the trees, and it must have been cool, but Hao felt like he was burning up. Sweat rolled down his face, mingling with the blood that oozed from the cut in his left temple. He licked at it, thirsty as hell. He didn't dare go looking for a water source though. He needed to find help for Yoh. Hell, he'd settle for a cabin or a cottage sighting, just so long as they had some way to get Yoh to a hospital.

He paused again, trying to wipe the blood out of his eye without dumping Yoh on the ground. "I can't do this alone." He whispered, lifting his head to the sky. "Not for my sake, but his. He's the most good person I've ever met, he doesn't deserve this. Please..."

He lowered his head and forced himself forward, through the agony, the dizziness, the nausea and the weariness that weighed him down. He continued forward, but something seemed to tug him to the left. He didn't think about it, but simply veered in that direction. He was too far gone to question the feeling or where it had come from, he just was glad that something at least seemed to know what it was doing.

He continued on, barely aware of where he was anymore. He was focussed solely on remaining conscious through the agony and the vertigo. His only mission now was to get Yoh to safety. If he died along the way it would merely be a penance for all the pain he'd caused his brother. The slow, barely audible heartbeat that Hao could feel in Yoh's chest was all that he needed to keep him going.

Suddenly cool stone replaced the debris covered soil that he'd been walking on. Hao looked up and found himself standing in front of the mouth of a cave. He was supposed to go in, he knew that, but he resisted, shaking slightly at the thought of the dark and the close walls inside.

"Hao Asakura, afraid of the dark, ha!" He croaked out. He forced himself step by step into the darkness, his whole body shaking in terror. The only sound inside was his own footsteps and his rapid gasps for air. He shuffled on, resisting the urge to run back to the sunshine; something wanted him to do this way, and perhaps on the other side was the help he was hoping for.

A faint glow gave him hope and made his feet move faster. The bright light hurt his eyes once more, black spots, partly from the bright light, and partly from his own losing battle with consciousness, obscured his vision. As he came out into the sun and felt the cool, fresh air on his face again his legs finally gave out and he sank to his knees with a groan.

"Can't... can't..." He whispered in a cracked voice. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Yoh..." He repeated softly over and over, tears leaking from his eyes. He was too drained to go on, to hurt to keep walking. He'd failed his brother. He lowered Yoh from his shoulders and hugged his brother to him close. At least Yoh would die in freedom.

He was so lost in his anguish that he didn't know that they weren't alone until Yoh was grabbed away from him. He let out a cry and reached out blindly, his vision blurry, but he couldn't find his brother. Hands grabbed his wrists and wrenched his arms behind his back. He screamed into the sky as the fresh agony made his vision go white an instant before he was plunged into mercifully unfeeling darkness.

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	13. Chapter 13

Star: I own nothing!

Silva shook his head as he moved through the honeycomb of caverns that comprised of the innermost workings of the Patch. Meetings, artefacts and even a cell block could be found in here. He'd come from a meeting about the find that had occurred earlier; Yoh. Silva growled.

"You don't believe their story." Silver Rod, his snake spirit, said.

"It doesn't make sense that Yoh got here on his own. I saw him, he looked too weak to even walk." Two young Patch officials, being groomed to take over for Nichrome and Magna, who had been ousted for supporting Hao instead of being neutral, had claimed to have found Yoh wandering around and had brought him to the doctor.

He was deep in thought when a small sound made him pause. It had sounded like a small, muffled whimper. He looked around, he was right near the cells, but there was no one in the cells at the moment; at least, there shouldn't have been. Another muffled whimper came from the direction of the cells. Silver Tail, the coyote, went to go investigate. He came back a moment later, looking stunned.

"Silva, you'd better come see this." He said softly. Silva followed him and then stopped dead in surprise. It took a moment for him to recognise the dirty, bloody, sickly pale, emaciated creature kneeling in the cell with his arms tied above his head as Hao, and even then he still had doubts. A knotted cloth gagged the fire shaman, the knot shoved in his mouth having turned a pinkish colour from his cracked, bloody lips and the cut oozing blood on his forehead.

Silva opened the cell and knelt in front of Hao. He noticed that the same collar that they'd cut from Yoh's neck was also around Hao's. Dark, anguished eyes stared up into his, begging for an end to his torment. Silva reached out and Hao flinched away from his hand, letting out a muffled moan.

Silva sighed; he couldn't leave him like this, even if he was Hao Asakura. He was hurt and needed medical attention. He sliced through the leather ties that bound Hao's wrists, noticing they'd been tied so tight that Hao was bleeding a little. Hao slumped a little as his arms were released, moaning softly in pain. Silva took the gag from his mouth and Hao stared up at him with glassy eyes.

"Y-Yoh? Yoh?" Hao croaked out.

"He's fine, he's with the doctor." Silva said. Hao let out a small sigh and his eyes rolled back into his head. Silva caught him as he fell unconscious. Carefully he bundled Hao up in his cloak and lifted him up, covering his face. He didn't want this becoming public knowledge until he'd spoken to Goldva. He headed out of the caves to the infirmary.

"Doctor." He called, stepping inside. "I have another patient for you." Doctor Lithu was an unusual man. His ancestors long ago had been members of the Patch who believed their animal spirits were an extension of themselves and remained bonded with them all the time. Eventually this bond had begun to change them. The result was that the good doctor looked like a cougar that had learned to walk on it's hind legs and had developed actual hands.

The doctor tsked softly as Silva lay Hao out on the operating table. "Well, I think we know now how Yoh actually got here." He commented after a few minutes' inspection.

"What do you mean?" Silva asked. He'd already directed Silver Wing the eagle to get Goldva here for him.

"He's showing much of the same sort of damage as Yoh had, suggesting he's been in the same situation." Silva cast a glance over at the lone other occupant of the hospital ward. Yoh, pale as death with IVs dripping nutrients into his blood, was still comatose. "Also, his feet are torn up, suggesting he walked through rough terrain."

"Why would Hao bring him to us though?" Silva asked. The doctor shrugged and got to work, starting with stripping Hao of his disgustingly dirty boxers and giving him a sponge bath to get the dirt and blood out of his skin and hair. Beneath the layer of dirt Silva saw burn marks, cuts and bruises coming to light.

"Silva, what's going on?" Silva turned to face Goldva, the Patch's matriarch. Silva pointed to the doctor. "My god." Goldva stepped forward and then halted. "How?"

"Found him in the cells, the doctor figures he's the one that brought Yoh to us." Silva explained. The doctor continued to ignore their conversation, focussing on cleaning Hao up and tending to his wounds.

"I'll have to have a talk with those two." Goldva muttered. "Doesn't matter what Hao did, the Great Spirit demands that we remain neutral." Suddenly the doctor let out a low hissing snarl. Silva and Goldva looked up and saw that the doctor had turned Hao over onto his stomach.

They moved forward and Silva sucked in a shocked breath. Criss-crossing Hao's back were peeling scabs of wounds that looked like some massive creature had been clawing at Hao. "What has been done to this man?" Doctor Lithu whispered. He gently dabbed at the wounds. Some of the scabs peeled off, revealing half-healed gashes. "How can anyone justify this?"

"X-Laws." Goldva said softly.

"That's my conclusion." Silva admitted. "But, why Yoh?"

"They are mad, I don't think they need any other reason than that." Doctor Lithu growled. "Shall I remove the collar? It inhibits his powers."

"Yes, remove it." Goldva said. "If whoever did this comes looking, he may need to be able to fight back. Now I understand why the Great Spirit didn't want us to contact Yoh's family just yet. If they found Hao here this weak..."

"So we let him get a little stronger and then call?" Silva asked. Goldva nodded solemnly.

"What's the diagnosis?" She asked the doctor.

"High fever, rapid heart-rate, malnutrition, dehydration, most likely a concussion. Thankfully none of his wounds are infected. I would say that he's been incarcerated for less time than Yoh." The doctor flipped Hao back onto his back and traced the long scar down his chest. "This is older than the other wounds and has been allowed to heal."

"Yoh gave him that, I just know it." Silva stated. "The X-Laws must have wanted him strong in order to torture him."

Silva inspected Hao now that he was clean. The gash on his forehead had bruising around it. His cheeks were sunken and dark shadows ringed his eyes. There were several X-shaped burns on his body, definitely X-Law handiwork. A pair of odd-looking puncture wounds could be seen on the underside of his chin and his upper chest. The doctor was binding gauze around the punctures in Hao's wrists and ankles. He then taped gauze to the forehead wound.

"He doesn't look like Hao." He commented aloud.

"Yes, he looks like a survivor of some kind of war." Doctor Lithu agreed.

"Silva, I'm going to call a meeting for later, and sort this all out." Goldva said.

"Alright Goldva." Silva said politely. The old woman walked out, muttering to herself in irritation. The doctor was dressing Hao in a loose robe and lifted him off the table. Hao let out a low whimper, but didn't wake. Doctor Lithu carried him over to a bed and laid him down gently before starting to put in various IVs.

Silva went over to the bed with Yoh in it. Yoh looked so small and frail lying there, his breathing barely audible. The heart-rate monitor recorded the slow, soft beats and sensors attached to his forehead showed the weak brain activity. Silva touched Yoh's forehead; he was cool-skinned. Yoh didn't respond to the gesture, he had yet to respond to anything.

"Tell me the truth, Lithu, do you think he'll live?" Silva asked, turning to the doctor. Doctor Lithu paused in placing heart-rate detectors on Hao's chest.

"He is very weak, but he should be responding to the medicine." He said carefully. "It all comes down to whether or not he wishes to fight for his life anymore."

"Why would he not?" Silva asked in confusion.

"He's been tortured Silva, that kind of pain is going to leave scars, not only physically, but emotionally as well. Perhaps he finally just gave up and feels that death is the better option, we don't know." Doctor Lithu sighed. "If he does wake up, he will likely need therapy, probably both of them will. There's no way to come out of something like this without emotional baggage."

Silva looked at Hao, lying in his own bed. His breathing was rapid, and his skin was hot. It was a stark contrast to his brother. "You think he'll even accept help?" Silva asked.

"He brought Yoh here, that suggests a shift in his thinking." Doctor Lithu shrugged. "Only time will tell."

Hao shifted restlessly in his sleep, his mouth moving as though trying to speak. His brow furrowed in what looked like worry and a small noise escaped him. "Shhh," The doctor said quietly, stroking Hao's head. "You're safe." The words seemed to calm Hao a bit. Silva stared at his face and thought that he looked like Yoh, instead of the other way around.

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	14. Chapter 14

Star: I own nothing!

Doctor Lithu puttered about the infirmary, humming to himself as he adjusted the IV drips in both Hao and Yoh's arms. He pushed his glasses further up his muzzle and peered at the readings of the thermometer. Fussily he lowered the sheet on Hao's body to his waist, to allow for more cool air to help lower his fever.

"You two are a pair of fighters, aren't you?" He always addressed patients in comas as though they could hear him. He believed that they could. "Wonder how far you walked before you got here, hm? Must have been a bit of a shock when you immediately caged again." He swiped a cool cloth across Hao's forehead.

He turned to Yoh then, lifting his sheets just below his chin to try and warm him up. "And you, almost two months gone, how on earth did you survive such appalling conditions that long?" Lithu shook his head. "Got a massive reserve of inner strength in that little body, don't you?"

Neither of the twins answered his chattering, but he didn't mind. "I'll be back in a couple minutes." He said and stepped into the next room where he had his living quarters. He preferred not to go off his ward to do things like shower, change clothes or sleep. He could hear all that was going on this way and could be awake in an instant if his patients needed it.

He went into his bathroom and splashed water on his face, rubbing at sore eyes. He'd not slept all night, more concerned about his patients' well-being. He stared into his own greenish-yellow eyes in the mirror. He grinned, showing off his fangs. "You need to start taking better care of yourself." He admonished himself and then yawned, licking at his chops. "A nap and then some food, those two aren't going anywhere anytime soon."

He nodded to his reflection and ambled out of the bathroom into his bedroom. He pulled off his doctor's coat, but left on his collared shirt and pants. He didn't wear shoes, not easy to make them for his digitigrades legs and besides, the pads were rather tough. He curled up on his bed, which was little more than a glorified cat basket and tried to get some sleep.

It wasn't much long after he'd fallen asleep that he was roused by a clatter from the ward and the sound of a heart monitor crying the alarm. Jumping up he found his glasses and pulled on his coat before hurrying out of his room.

Hao seemed to have fallen out of bed and was doing his best to get back up on his feet. "No no no." Lithu admonished, rushing to him. "You need to stay in bed, my friend, you are not well enough to try and be walking." Hao struggled in his grasp.

"No... need...Yoh...need Yoh..." The thousand year old shaman insisted in a hoarse voice, raising glassy, only half-aware eyes to stare Lithu in the face. "Please... need...otouto..."

"Hao..." Lithu turned, startled, at the sound of Yoh's whispered voice. "Hao..." Yoh wasn't awake, but he seemed aware of something.

"Please..." Hao begged once more, his legs giving out finally. Lithu caught him and looked over at Yoh's bed. He supposed it couldn't hurt, and if it kept Hao calm... He chewed at his lower lip a moment and then made his decision. He detached Hao's IVs and sensors and lifted him into his arms, carrying him over to Yoh's bed.

Yoh's eyes opened a sliver as Hao was laid down beside him. Lithu watched in wide-eyed amazement as the twins turned over on their sides so they were facing each other, gripped each other's hand and pressed their foreheads together, all while barely conscious. "Thank you." Twin voices whispered together as eyes closed in unconsciousness once more.

Lithu cocked his head at the two of them, his tail flicking back and forth in interest. He smiled slightly; if nothing else the picture the two of them made was quite cute. He supposed they'd probably come to rely on each other during whatever torments they'd gone through and separation in their fragile state was a source of anxiety.

Lithu carefully reattached Hao's IVs and sensors and stepped back, tilting his head slightly again. Something seemed odd to him, his fur was standing on end. Something was happening, something strange, and he didn't know what. He shook his head; whatever it was, it would come to light eventually, he just had to wait.

Wide awake now he began cleaning around his infirmary, organizing medicines, making lists of inventory in need of stocking up and just generally finding things for himself to do. One ear was always tuned towards his patients, in case one of them woke up again, or one of them went into cardiac arrest or something.

After awhile he lifted his head, unsure of what had caught his attention. His sensitive ears flicked back and forth, trying to discern what had made him uneasy. All that he could hear was the steady beep-beep of the heart monitors... wait! Only one heart monitor sounded like it was beeping. He whirled, eyes wide, but found both working. Heart hammering in his chest he walked up to inspect the units and realized that it wasn't that only one was beeping, it was that both were beeping in sync with each other; Yoh and Hao's heart beats were the same!

He inspected the other machines and realized their brain activity was showing the same thing. It was also at a higher level than was associated with comatose victims, almost wakeful levels in fact. However, neither twin responded to being poked lightly with one of Lithu's claws, or a clap right beside their ear. He noticed then that even their breathing was synced.

"Curious." He whispered. Something niggled at his mind, like he should know what was going on. After a moment of thinking he thought he had an idea. He walked back into his room and riffled through his bookshelves, coming up with an old, leather-bound book. He flipped through the pages, some of them in old parchment and ink and some of them replaced with clean, new white pages. He found what he was looking for and sat down to read.

Sometime later he lifted his head, nose twitching. "Ahh, my friend." He sighed happily as Silva came in, carrying a canteen of what smelled like vegetable soup. "You must have heard my stomach growling." He laughed slightly.

"I'm pretty sure the whole village could." Silva teased in reply. He set down the canteen and then frowned at the twins. "Why are they in the same bed, Lithu?" Lithu paused with his spoon halfway to his mouth.

"Hao woke up and tried to get out of bed to Yoh, he was quite insistent that he needed to be with Yoh, Yoh seemed to feel the same way as he'd woken up slightly and was saying Hao's name. I thought that there could be no harm in letting them bed together, in fact I thought it might help keep them calm when they start waking up." Lithu paused to catch his breath. "Then I noticed something odd..."

"Such as...?"

"Their heart beats, brain activity, and even their breathing is completely in sync with one another." Lithu told him. Silva turned to look at the heart monitor, frowning slightly.

"Do you have any idea why?" He asked.

"I believe I might." Lithu said, holding up the book he was reading. "My great great-grandfather was fascinated by supernatural phenomena outside of shamanism, these are his writings on the subject. There is one in particular that may explain what is happening, if I may read it to you."

"GO ahead." Silva encouraged. Lithu cleared his throat and began to read.

_Bond Infinus, or the Infinite Bond. The rarest of all soul bonds, this bond is described as being the ultimate bond that any soul can form with one another. It often occurs between twins, because of the already present Twin Bond, and occurs most often after a time of great stress and perils for the two that have been bonded, as it is a strong empathetic bond. When the Bond is ready to be completely, the two fall into a coma and must be kept in physical contact with one another, otherwise the bond will not take and the two can die. The coma lasts up to two days and there may be some disorientation when the two wake up. Reports say that the bearers of the bond once in the coma have their hearts beat as one. Bond Infinus is extremely powerful and cannot be broken once made. The Bonded share memories, thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and even powers of any kind. They are found to despise being apart for any amount of time and are uncomfortable if they must block each other from their minds. Finally, if one of the Bonded dies, the other will die as well. _

"You believe this is what is happening to the two of them?" Silva asked in disbelief.

"That is correct." Lithu said. "I just explained the most important details of Grandfather's description, there's a couple pages worth of anecdotes and explanations. One thing I've noticed since the two of them have been in that bed together is that they seem to be recovering faster, which I believe is part of this Bond forming. The fact that Hao was so insistent on being with Yoh only adds to my surety. Only time will tell though." He licked his lips. "What did Goldva have to say at the meeting?"

"She reamed the two that imprisoned Hao out pretty good. She then told us we were not to contact anyone about Yoh or Hao until the Great Spirit gave it's okay, or they themselves gave their okay."

"Hmm, probably wise. It would not do for us to have saved them only to lose them again if someone decides to take a stab at Hao." Lithu said.

"You really believe this is happening."

"I can feel it in the air, something is happening between the two of them, something powerful." Lithu replied with utmost certainty.

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	15. Chapter 15

Star: I own nothing!

Lithu yawned and stretched, digging his claws into the worn blanket on his bed a moment before getting up. He'd slept through the night, not having had to do anything since Yoh and Hao had begun their bonding process two days ago. They'd hopefully wake up soon.

Lithu purred to himself as he got dressed for the day, putting on his glasses and his coat and heading onto his ward. "Good morning." He greeted his patients, not expecting an answer in reply. To his pleased surprise he watched as their eyelids flickered open simultaneously. The twins just stared at each other. Lithu waited a moment, and then decided to see if they were lucid.

"Good morning, you two." He said, padding over to the bed. Two pairs of eyes shifted to stare at him, both narrowed in wary worry. "Blink twice if you understand me." Two pairs of eyes blinked twice at him in sync. "Good, good. I am Doctor Lithu and you are safe in the Patch infirmary. You will not come to harm so long as you are here."

Yoh's eyes softened a bit at his words, but Hao's remained suspicious; neither seemed inclined to speak at this time. Lithu puttered a bit, checking their vitals and the IV drips. Both twins watched him silently, not making any move to fight back. Yoh's initial suspicious glance was fading into wary curiosity. Of course if Lithu's assumption was correct Yoh would know what he was thanks to Hao's memories, but he would be the first of his kind that Yoh would have actually seen before.

"Alright, let's lift the head of the bed a bit and we can think about getting some sustenance into you two." Lithu kept his voice pleasant and gentle, knowing these two had been through hell and were definitely afraid of being thrust back into hell. He found the controls that would lift and lower parts of the bed and lifted the head until it was like Yoh and Hao were sitting up. "Okay, now I'm going to turn you over onto your backs, alright?"

Lithu carefully turned Hao, who let go of one of Yoh's hands, but still held onto the other. Lithu then padded over to the other side of the bed and did the same with Yoh. As he was finishing, Silva walked in with a canteen.

"Ah, Silva, just the man I wanted to see." Silva stopped, looked at the twins sitting up and awake, and looked at Lithu. "What did you bring for me this morning?"

"Just plain rice and chicken, like you always have." Silva said, sounding perplexed.

"That should do quite nicely, yes." Lithu murmured to himself. "Just give me a moment Silva." He padded back into his bedroom and dug out a couple of plastic cups, filling them with water from his bathroom sink. He carried the cups back and set them on his desk. "Can I have the canteen please?" He asked Silva. Rummaging in his cluttered desk he came up with a bowl and a spare spoon.

"What are you doing?" Silva asked.

"It'll be easiest if both my patients are given water and food at the same time." Lithu explained as he scooped half of the chicken and rice into the bowl. "You attend to Yoh, and I'll attend to Hao. Water first, and then food, slowly, mind you, we don't need them getting sick."

"Alright." Silva said, accepting the bowl and the cup. Lithu sat down in a chair next to Hao, who was watching Silva approach Yoh warily. Lithu tapped his shoulder to get his attention. Hao turned reluctantly, his eyes still guarded.

"Let's get you started with some water, I imagine you must be quite thirsty." Lithu said to him gently. Hao's stare didn't waver as Lithu brought the cup to his lips. Lithu only allowed him small sips at a time, to lower the risk of him getting sick.

Once Hao was finished the entire cup, Lithu took out the canteen half-full of rice and chicken. Hao eyed it dubiously, but allowed Lithu to spoon feed him a bite. As Hao chewed his scrunched up features smoothed out and he swallowed eagerly, opening his mouth for another bite.

"Well, you are hungry." Lithu chuckled as he fed his charge. Once the twins were done they yawned simultaneously and lay back, falling asleep again.

%&%&%&%

The two brothers sat on the edge of the bed, legs dangling, seemingly contemplating the floor. They had been waking up, eating and then falling back asleep for the last two days. They finally felt strong enough to do something other than sleep. It was late though, and they should have been, but they did not want to deal with the nightmares just yet.

Hao smiled slightly as Yoh suggested something for the both of them to do. They gripped each other's hands and vanished, reappearing in the Patch village hot springs. They shed their clothing and slipped into the warm waters with twin sighs of contentment. After a couple minutes of soaking they began to wash, scrubbing their skin and hair clean.

When they were done they sat back to relax, staring up at the sky. _I can still hardly believe I'm still alive. _Hao turned his head at his brother's soft thought. Yoh turned to look at him, Hao able to feel the sea of emotion he felt. _Thank you for not giving up on me. _

_I couldn't..._ There wasn't anything else to say, Yoh knew, Yoh knew everything about him, just as he knew everything about Yoh. He lifted his face to the sky instead and smiled, completely at ease for the first time in a long time.

Without a word the two of them got out of the spring and stood looking at each other. In an instant Hao was looking through Yoh's eyes at his own body, seeing the wreck it was. Yoh was doing the same thing. They both spared a moment of unhappy remembrance and then decided to erase some of the evidence of their torture.

Hao lifted a hand and touched one of the scars on Yoh's chest, tracing it. It disappeared as he did so. Yoh did the same to him, erasing the x-shaped brand on his chest. They continued along, healing each other's wounds until Yoh tried to turn Hao around.

_No, I want to keep those. _Hao was of course referring to the wounds that had nearly killed him. Yoh looked at him, nodding in understanding, touching the healed gash on his own cheek. Yoh wanted to keep that one for the same reason; to remind themselves of what they had been through.

"Figured I'd find you two here." Hao and Yoh jumped at Silva's voice. The tall Native American frowned sternly at the two of them. "You should have at least told someone where you were going, Lithu was quite distressed."

"We're sorry." Yoh said, his voice scratchy from disuse. Silva blinked in surprise and then smiled slightly.

"Well, no harm, no foul. Let's get you back to the hospital though." He suggested.

"We have a faster way." Yoh suggested, holding out a hand to Silva. Silva gave Hao a wary glance, but took Yoh's offered hand. They vanished and reappeared in the infirmary, making Doctor Lithu jump and hiss as they appeared.

"Well, I should have known you two would be trouble for me," He sighed melodramatically. "Back into bed with the both of you."

Hao and Yoh obeyed without a fuss. Silva didn't leave though and sat down beside their bed. "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask the two of you a couple quick questions. Goldva will probably be down tomorrow to ask more, I'll try to keep this brief." Yoh and Hao nodded solemnly. "Can you tell us who did this to you?"

"X-Laws." Yoh answered. Silva sighed.

"We figured as much." He admitted. "I suppose that was the only really important question. My other question is how are the two of you doing?"

"Both of us?" Hao asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes."

"We'll be fine..." Yoh began.

"Eventually." Hao finished. "It helps the bond we have now, keeps us centered."

"Doctor Lithu called it the Eternity bond, which means you two are inseparable, is that correct?"

"Yes..." Yoh said softly.

"Does that scare you?" Hao asked.

"I don't know." Silva said, shaking his head. "How deeply connected are you?"

"We know everything about each other, every memory, every thought, every feeling, every sensation one feels, the other knows." Hao said softly. "Even just the thought of not being in the same room gives us the shakes, but we think we can work on that. We won't be able to stray far from each other though."

"It sounds like a burden." Silva commented. Yoh and Hao smiled.

"It may seem that way to you, but to us...it's hard to explain in words, but it feels like... like finally having all the pieces." Yoh said. "I'm sorry I can't explain it better."

"Well, you two should be sleeping anyways." Doctor Lithu replied, shooing Silva out.

"We should warn you, we have some pretty bad nightmares." Hao told him as he turned out the lights in the room and the twins settled down to sleep.

"I've been a doctor for many years, I'm used to hearing patients' nightmares." Doctor Lithu informed him soberly. "It's better than hearing them flat-line."

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	16. Chapter 16

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh and Hao came awake in the early morning, screams locked in their throats as they struggled out of their nightmares. As they lay there, quietly trying to catch their breath, they became aware of a hand gently rubbing each of their backs and a low, soothing, vibrating sound that as soon as they were awake enough they realized was purring.

Yoh turned over first and looked into the kind eyes of Doctor Lithu, who smiled down at him while continuing to purr. "I hope you don't mind, but I find that such soothing stimuli often helps with bringing patients out of a nightmare state faster." He said, looking a tad embarrassed.

"It's okay, it was nice." Yoh assured him. He could feel Hao trying to go back to sleep and mentally poked him to wake him up again. "What time is it?"

"A little after eight o'clock." Doctor Lithu answered. "I was going to wake you two anyways."

"Why's that?" Hao asked, turning over and sitting up in the bed.

"Goldva wishes to speak to you." Yoh's nervousness mixed with Hao's wariness, culminating in a general feeling of unease between the two of them. Something must have shown in their faces because the doctor smiled reassuringly.

"I believe she only wants information about what has happened to you two." Doctor Lithu explained. "I think she fears that the X-Laws may retaliate against us for helping you."

"She's probably right." Yoh said with a heavy sigh. They knew that they would have to get rid of Marco and the Iron Maiden for good soon. Killing didn't sit well with him, but he knew in this case it was the only option left to them.

Goldva came in, followed by both Silva and Kalim. "Well, you two look like you've been through the wringer a couple times." She commented, putting her hands on her hips. "I'll try not to drudge up anything to painful for you, so tell me if you need to stop."

"Thank you, Goldva." Yoh said politely.

"We know that the X-Laws were the ones to capture you, can you tell us where they took you?"

"Somewhere fairly close to your village." Hao replied.

"You don't know anything more than that?" Goldva pressed.

"I was more concerned about staying conscious long enough to get Yoh help than about making observations about the landscape." Hao said sarcastically. Yoh mentally asked him to calm down a little bit, feeling Hao's sheepish apology for being rude.

"Judging by the condition that you were admitted to this hospital in I'd say it was a miracle you got here at all." Goldva said, ignoring Hao's tone. "How did you get here anyways, if you didn't know where you were going?"

"I was led..." Yoh received a surge of disoriented memories of fighting to keep moving, to stay conscious just long enough to find help and a pulling sensation leading him on. "I'd prayed... that someone would help Yoh, not me, but Yoh, and then I got the feeling of someone tugging me in a certain direction and I just followed. I think it may have been the Great Spirit."

"It didn't say anything to us about finding you." Goldva said.

"Perhaps it wanted to see how you would deal with us on your own." Yoh suggested.

"That could explain it." Silva piped up. "Forgive me, Goldva." He said, looking sheepish at Goldva's stern look.

"So it was certainly the X-Laws who had you?" Goldva asked.

"Yeah, though I only ever saw Marco." Yoh replied. "The Iron Maiden was there, Marco just felt that having her watch him torture me would be unseemly for a maiden." Grins crossed both Hao and Yoh's face at the disbelieving looks they received.

"How in the hell does that work?" Silva demanded.

"He treats her like a delicate flower and yet she dismembers people without a thought." Hao stated. "I would guess it's one thing to let her do it on her own, as with her it is 'truly the justice of the gods' and one thing to let her watch it happen. Marco's just crazy, let's go with that."

"As Patch we are meant to remain neutral, but it worries me that they are loose out in the world." Goldva murmured.

"Hopefully for not much longer." Yoh said grimly. Silva stared at him a moment and his eyes widened.

"Are you talking about what I think you're talking about, Yoh?" He asked. Yoh gave him a grim look in reply. "I thought you abhorred killing? Is this because of your bond with Hao?"

"No, this came before, and had nothing to do with Hao's influence." Yoh assured him. "There's no getting through to them, and as much as I can't stand it, killing them is the only way to stop them from hurting more people."

"People have said that about Hao." Kalim reminded him.

"It's... complicated." Yoh sighed. "This isn't a decision that came easily to me, please understand that, and it's a situation that I hope to never find myself in again."

"And that goes for me too." Hao admitted. This visibly startled the Patch. Hao smiled slightly. "It's mostly I don't want to hurt Yoh, but being able to see Yoh's perspective on the lives that I've taken has made me realize just how unnecessary all those deaths were."

"And Hao's perspective has shown me that I need to be more assertive with what I want to be, and not what everyone else wants me to be." Yoh added. "That includes my family."

"Speaking of, we contacted them, telling them that you are here and well. They are rounding up your friends and should be here by tomorrow." Goldva told him. Hao reacted to Yoh's spike of anxiety by balling his fists and scowling slightly. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Well, you know, I'm now irreversibly bonded to the man my family's been trying to get rid of for the last thousand years and basically think of as the devil, do you think they'll have a problem with that at all?" Yoh's new cynical side obviously startled Silva, but made Lithu laugh.

"Well, I can say for certain they're going to get quite the surprise." Goldva predicted.

%&%&%&%

Yoh and Hao were too restless the next day to wait anywhere. They started by stretching their legs, seeing how much energy they'd regained while recovering in the hospital. They were pleased that they didn't need to rest as often as they'd feared. Yoh was still extremely twitchy though, which made Hao twitchy and a twitchy Hao was a frustrated Hao.

_Why don't we practice using our power together? _Hao finally suggested as they came upon a small lake at the edge of the village. Yoh agreed and Hao stepped onto the surface of the lake, walking on the water. Yoh knew how to do it too, and he could do it with the power level they now shared, but he still stared at the water worriedly, the memories of his near-drowning making him afraid.

Hao held out his hand to his twin, reassuring him that he wouldn't let anything bad happen to him. Yoh took Hao's hand and stepped out onto the water. After a moment of nervousness he was elated to find himself walking on the surface of the water. Letting go of Hao's hand he walked further out, feeling his fears disappear as he watched the water ripple beneath his feet.

_See, it's not so bad. _Yoh looked up at Hao and smiled slightly.

"YOH!" The scream made Yoh lose his concentration and he slipped under the water. He panicked, flailing at the water.

_Yoh, you know how to swim, calm down. _Hao was suddenly there, grasping his hand. _Swim. _Yoh found his body obeying instinctively, paddling at the water and kicking to bring him up to the surface. He broke the surface of the water with a gasp and looked into Hao's eyes, feeling sheepish as they treaded water. Hao reassured him and then got him to look at the shore, where Yoh's friends and family were waiting for him, looking worried and wary.

He began to swim for the shore, his movements less graceful than Hao's, but still adequate enough to get him to land quickly. He shook his head as he stood in the shallows, scattering droplets of water that hit Hao. He felt a flare of amusement from Hao that died down into wary watchfulness.

"What's going on here, why is he with you?" Of course it was Lyserg to make this statement, throwing a look of hatred at Hao.

"Where have you been?" Yoh's grandfather demanded at the same time. "Have you been with him all this time?"

Accusations and questions began flying through the air from everyone. Yoh felt pressed in, and tried to back up, but there was only the lake at his back. Hao's temper was rising and he felt his own responding. He waited, but the shouting grew to an unbearable level and he finally snapped, unable to take the noise anymore.

"WOULD YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP?" He screamed. His angry voice shocked them all into silence and they stared at him like he'd grown another head. "If you'd let me talk, I would be happy to explain what happened to us."

"Us?" Yoh sighed as the hubbub started up again. This was going to take some time.

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	17. Chapter 17

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh waited, teetering on the edge of just walking away and letting them argue themselves to death. Finally his friends and family seemed to realize their yelling and questioning wasn't getting them anywhere and they quieted down, looking at him expectantly.

"Well?" Ren growled. Yoh gazed at him coolly.

"It's nice to see you too." He said sarcastically. "Glad you're all so happy to see me."

"Dude, what's gotten into you?" Horohoro asked.

"Well, if you'd all let me talk, I will explain what's going on." Yoh sat down on the beach, stretching his legs out. Hao sat down beside him, silent, wary. Yoh could feel the angry suspicion off him and tried to mentally soothe his brother; the last thing they needed was for one of them to really lose their tempers. After a moment everyone else sat down too. "I was caught by the X-Laws."

"I knew it!" Ren blurted out. "You defended them," He accused Lyserg. "Where are your defenses now?"

Yoh waited until Ren was looking at him and raised an eyebrow. "You done interrupting me now?" Ren opened his mouth and then shut it again. "The reason they took me is because they found Hao, badly injured, but very much alive and they figured I must have checked the blow and not meant to kill him at all. And before anyone asks... they're right."

"What?" Mikihisa demanded. "You allowed him to live? Why would you do that?"

"What good does killing him do when it just makes him stronger and more pissed off?" Yoh shook his head. "I'm not going to get into an argument about this now, I'm going to finish this story now. When they took me back to wherever the hell they had their little stronghold Marco started torturing me for information and trying to get me to confess my sins and join them." Yoh snorted derisively. "After getting time to heal from his wounds, Hao was thrown in with me and got to be tortured too."

"Serves him right." Lyserg grumbled.

"May I continue?" Yoh asked him mildly. Lyserg coloured slightly. "He didn't want anything to do with me at first, but there's something about being in the dark, in pain, hungry, thirsty...you don't want to be alone. We gravitated to each other, sought the comfort another person could give. Hell, after awhile he started to actually like having me around."

"He was just using you." Yohmei snorted.

"I was dying down there, what possible use would he have for me?" Yoh asked disdainfully. "Anyways, back to the actual story... things started getting a little strange. We started being able to see each other's dreams when we were sleeping. After awhile I started being able to hear little snippets of thought from him. We didn't realize anything was really going on until we were able to feel each other's pain when we were being tortured. We realized something big was happening to us, we didn't know what, but we were going to allow it to happen. Soon we could talk to each other without words, share memories, feelings, all kinds of things."

"You let him into your head." Ren said with disbelief. "Of all the stupid-"

"He let me into his head too." Yoh said, cutting Ren off. "You keep interrupting me, we're just going to leave." Ren shut up again. "I personally don't remember any of this next part on my own, but I fell into a coma, and was dying. Hao managed to trick Marco and overpower him. Hao got me out, he was sick, struggling to stay conscious, in pain, and the only thing he was thinking about was getting me help. He found the Patch and we were taken in and treated. This is where things get really hard to explain..."

He stopped and closed his eyes, looking for the words to describe what they had now. Hao was completely silent, now calm and encouraging. Yoh opened his eyes again. "While we were unconscious, we were Bonded. What that means is that now we share thoughts, memories, feelings, physical sensations, powers. Our souls are essentially attached to one another, irreversibly."

"WHAT?" Yohmei roared, jumping to his feet.

"Yoh, this is exactly what you were fighting against! Becoming a part of him!" Manta squeaked, horrified.

"No, because becoming a part of him meant that I was controlled by him. We're two separate beings, we're just... more. Neither of us can force the other to do anything. We can be affected by the other's thoughts or emotions, but that's all."

"You little moron." Anna hissed, standing up and stalking towards him. Hao moved just as quickly and stood in her way.

"I wouldn't do what I think you're going to do." He said mildly. "Number one, I wouldn't like it, and number two, he's not exactly mentally stable at the moment thanks to being tortured for about two months and alone for quite a bit of that time. I'm not quite sane myself, so who knows what we'll do if we feel threatened. Whatever it is, I don't think it will be pretty, so I would suggest you back off."

Anna looked as though she was considering slapping him, the protective rage rolling off Hao telling Yoh that would be a very bad idea. After a long moment she backed off, giving both of them poisonous glares.

"Hao's in his head, we should kill him now." Of course it would be Lyserg to suggest it. Yoh stood as the murmurs started.

"Before you go on planning Hao's demise, you should know that if you kill him, I die. Same thing the other way around too." He informed them lightly. They all stared at him with deer-in-the-headlight looks. "Just thought you should know that before you do something stupid." He turned to Hao. "Want to go?"

"Yes." Hao said, Yoh knowing he'd wanted to go since they'd started talking.

"You're not going anywhere." Yohmei growled.

"Since I'm thinking you just want to yell at me and we don't feel like losing our tempers, yes, we're going." Yoh replied calmly. "I'll give you all a chance to think about this." With that he and Hao vanished and reappeared in the infirmary again. Doctor Lithu hissed, his fur fluffing out and his claws coming out. When he saw who it was he relaxed.

"It's a neat trick, but it's going to give me a heart attack." He informed them.

"Sorry." They replied in unison. The doctor smiled.

"No harm done, now up on the table so I can give you both a check-up." He ordered. Yoh and Hao obediently got up on the examination table and took off their still damp t-shirts. Doctor Lithu prodded at their stomachs. "Well, you two have already put on a little weight, but you're still too skinny. I'll be prescribing vitamins and a meal supplement to be taken by both of you until you get up to a target weight."

"What about refining our bodies?" Yoh asked, looking down at his caved in stomach. "Working out, you know?" Hao had the same thoughts, thinking about the perfect body he'd worked so hard to create and had lost. There was a touch of wistfulness mixed with the disbelief at his own vanity from Hao's mind.

"First you need to get to a healthy body weight." Doctor Lithu told them sternly. "You can hurt yourselves otherwise."

"Okay, so resting easy for awhile, we can do that." Yoh said cheerily. Hao smiled at him, knowing how much he liked to just watch the world passing by while doing nothing.

"Other than the malnutrition, I see nothing wrong." Doctor Lithu tapped Hao's chest. "I see you two fixed a couple things, but kept some."

"We wanted to be reminded." Yoh said, touching his scarred cheek. Lithu nodded in understanding.

"So, how did the meeting go?" He asked as the twins shrugged on their t-shirts again. Yoh mimed hanging himself. "That bad, huh?"

"As soon as they saw Hao they freaked, and it only got worse when I explained about the bond." Yoh said with a sigh. "Maybe they'll come around, but if they don't..." Hao put a hand on Yoh's shoulder, his face grave and sad.

"It's a bit of a hard thing for them to swallow, I would imagine." Lithu said. "If they truly believe in you, they'll come around." Yoh nodded his head, but looked doubtful. He looked up as the doctor's ears twitched and he looked around. "I think someone's calling for you, Yoh." Doctor Lithu informed them lightly. "They sound a little frantic."

Yoh frowned and got down from the table, heading outside with Hao trailing after him. When he got outside he was almost bowled over by a large shape that wrapped its arms around him. Yoh stiffened, thinking he was being attacked. Hao told him it was possibly alright though and he looked up into his guardian spirit's frantic, joyous face.

"Amidamaru?" He asked aloud.

"Yoh, I'm so glad to see you." Amidamaru said, his voice cracking. "I'm sorry I didn't...everything was just so chaotic I couldn't..." Yoh smiled, understanding what Amidamaru was trying to say.

"It's fine Amidamaru. I take it you don't feel the same way they do?" Yoh asked. Amidamaru looked at Hao warily for a long moment.

"I trust you." He finally said, the very spirit of loyalty. "And I know you. I may not understand completely, but... I will believe in you."

"At least one person does." Yoh chuckled slightly in relief and sadness.

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	18. Chapter 18

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh stared moodily down at his half-full cup of orange juice. He'd been in a low mood since his talk with his friends and family, though Amidamaru's appearance had lifted his spirits some. Hao sat across the table from him, flicking the few crumbs that remained on his plate onto the ground for the sparrows to fight over.

"Yoh?" Yoh and Hao looked up at Amidamaru's worried voice. "You seem troubled."

"My family may be plotting how to kill us as we speak." Yoh replied. "We are thinking about how we should deal with that if it does occur."

"You don't really think they'll do such a thing, do you?" Amidamaru asked. Yoh and Hao gave him the same bleak look. "That's...incredibly unnerving." Amidamaru commented. "Though I suppose I'll get used to it."

_He'll have to._ Yoh and Hao thought together. Yoh then thought about Harusame, his sword, wishing he still had it. He wondered if they'd brought it with them. Hao reminded him that he had no need for the sword, he could make an Oversoul without it.

"Are you two alright? You've gone awfully quiet." Amidamaru told them.

"Sorry, Amidamaru. We find it easier to talk to each other without words and forget that not everyone can hear what's going on in our heads." Yoh said, grinning sheepishly. "We were talking about Harusame."

"Your family brought the sword with them, though I think that they won't be willing to give it back right now." Amidamaru said apologetically.

"It would be easy enough to steal it away with the power we have." Yoh said, letting Hao's delight at the thought of tricking the Asakuras wash over him. Hao had quite the impish streak and Yoh found that it had infected him as well.

"We don't really need it, though I suppose it's sort of a part of both of you." Hao commented, stretching lazily.

"What do you mean, you don't need it?" Amidamaru asked curiously. Yoh and Hao shared a thought, wondering how far Amidamaru would trust Hao.

"I could demonstrate, with your permission." Hao suggested, standing up and holding out a hand. Amidamaru gave him an uneasy look.

"Yoh knows how to do it, does he not?" He said.

"It's not about if I know or not." Yoh told him gently. "It's about whether or not you trust the both of us. Eventually there may be two guardian spirits to help us, but for now you're all the two of us have to help us."

"I understand." Amidamaru said softly, and then nodded to Hao. In an instant Hao held in his hand a glowing blue-ish sword similar to the Oversoul that Yoh always made with Harusame. Hao's surprise and joy at Amidamaru's willingness made Yoh laugh and clap his hands in delight. Hao dissolved the Oversoul, Amidamaru looking surprised as he came out of it.

"That was strange, it was just the air that was being used..." He said. "I feel more at ease being one with my weapon, though I suppose you both cannot wield it."

"Not to worry, Amidamaru." Hao said reassuringly. "It would be foolish of us not to have a guardian spirit for each of us, though we are so connected. I just don't know..." Yoh sent Hao a feeling of comfort as he thought gravely about one of his first spirit allies, one that had turned his back on Hao. He got up, suggesting they take a walk and take their minds off such dark thoughts.

"I heard, what you two went through, and Hao said that neither of you are quite sane anymore... is that true?" Amidamaru asked. Yoh let out a jagged laugh.

"Alone in the dark, constantly in pain, sometimes enough to make you question reality, I doubt anyone would be completely sane after that." Yoh said bitterly. Amidamaru gave him a worried look. "You can't expect me to go through so much and not be changed at least a little by it."

"I understand that... it's just strange to hear that tone in your voice." Amidamaru said. "You're not, both of you, completely alright, are you?"

Yoh and Hao considered the question, considered the ways of answering it. Yoh sighed. "We're more alright than we would be if we were not Bonded. The Bond keeps us centered, helps keep us anchored in reality, but..."

"We'll have nightmares, probably for the rest of our lives, and wake up screaming and unable to remember if it was just a dream or if we were still in the dark." Hao continued. "We'll never be comfortable in confined spaces, and going underground will make us uneasy."

"We're scarred," Yoh added softly. "Not just physically, and those scars will stay with us forever. They'll fade with time, but right now they're still very raw."

"Would you have attacked Anna if she had tried to hurt you?" Amidamaru asked the both of them.

"We don't know." Hao replied as they both shrugged. "That's what worries us. We don't know how we'll react to certain situations anymore, what will bring up the nightmares. We need to be careful."

"At least you don't have to worry about burning them out of existence." Amidamaru's face fell as Yoh and Hao both shuddered. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to bring up anything painful."

"When I see many things that I've done with Spirit of Fire through Yoh's eyes, they're horrifying." Hao said dismally. "It's not the fault of the Spirit of Fire, but we couldn't use it as a guardian spirit. Besides, it's back where it belongs."

"Besides, if I was uncomfortable with it, he would be uncomfortable too and neither of us would be able to form an Oversoul." Yoh added, a little more cheerfully. "We should try." He said aloud to the thoughts that Hao was having. "I'm sure he'd come."

"Who are you talking about?" Amidamaru asked. Yoh and Hao smiled gently in remembrance.

"Matamune." They said together.

"The cat spirit?" Amidamaru asked.

"Yeah, he was a dear friend to us." Hao said.

"Hao merely worries that Matamune will not be wishing to see him." Yoh explained. "They did not part on good terms, but that's all I will say about it." Yoh understood the old hurt that accompanied thoughts of Matamune for Hao. Then Hao suggested something that made Yoh perk up. "Hao just pointed out what he did with Matamune."

"What is that?"

"We give you something filled with our furyiochu and with a little manipulation it allows you to have a physical body, which will allow you to enjoy certain things you did in life, like being able to actually touch things, and eat." Hao explained. "In Matamune's case-" He trailed off as both he and Yoh put a hand to their throat, remembering that Marco had taken the bear claw necklace.

"What's wrong?" Amidamaru asked.

"The bear claw necklace I wore, that was Matamune's talisman until he used up all the furyiochu in it, to save me." Yoh said softly, gulping back tears of loss. Hao was just as sad, but also angry. Perhaps Marco had kept it, perhaps they could still find it when they went back to finish them. Amidamaru didn't know about that plan, and it was Hao who suggested that they get that knowledge out of the way now.

"There's one other thing that might shock you, Amidamaru." Hao said. "When we were imprisoned, and Yoh believed he would die, he asked me to do something. He asked me to kill the X-Laws. We intend to still do that."

"Yoh?" Amidamaru gasped. Yoh stared levelly into his samurai friend's wide, shocked eyes.

"It's the only way to stop their madness. I thought about it a long time, and though I do not like it, it is a necessary thing to prevent more people from getting hurt." Yoh said. "Marco is a sadist, he enjoys the torture he inflicts on people, he gets off on it, and the little girl's not much better. With the kind of power they have..."

"I understand." Amidamaru said. "Sometimes death is the only option, as a warrior I am all too aware of that." Yoh smiled tentatively at him. "I get a better idea of how bad things were for you in there knowing that you came to this decision. I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you, I should never have left you out of my sight."

"Yeah, but if you'd been with me, they would have captured you too, then who knows what they could have done with you." Yoh countered. "I'm glad that you were safe, and only one of us was suff... no, you were suffering, but just not in the same ways."

"Yes, I imagine most of your friends and family are simply in shock. We thought you were dead, and then told you're alive and then finding you with Hao? It's a little much to process for most I think."

"Not for you." Hao pointed out.

"I think I understand Yoh the most of all his friends, and perhaps even his family, barring yourself of course." Amidamaru stated. Hao opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by a shout.

"HEY YOH!"

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Star: Review plz!


	19. Chapter 19

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh turned to find his friends and family running towards him. He and Hao were instantly suspicious, but Yoh's friends swarmed around him, all talking at once, and it seemed like they were accepting this all. He didn't realize he was being pushed away from Hao until he felt a strange tugging inside him.

Yoh tried to push back, beginning to panic a little, but hands clamped down on his arms and shoulders, preventing him from escaping. Hao was trying to get to him as well, but Anna, Mikihisa and Yohmei were blocking him, Anna attempting to wrap him in his beads.

"Let me go!" Yoh cried, the panic of being taken away from his brother starting to override his senses. He whimpered as the tugging of their joined souls became painful.

"This is for your own good." Lyserg told him.

"You're hurting us!" Yoh protested, struggling against his friends' hands, seeing Anna start to chant. He didn't want to hurt them, but they were going to be killed if he didn't do something. Anger and panic swelled until Yoh and Hao's thoughts melded into completely one and neither was sure where they ended and the other began.

"**LET...US...GO!" **They bellowed, and a blast of energy radiated out from them, forcing the others away. The two of them immediately ran to each other, grasping at each others' hands, feeling the panic ebb away. They turned to face Yoh's friends and family, still angry at what they had tried.

"What the hell guys?" Yoh demanded. "I thought I explained this clearly."

"Yoh, listen to yourself, he's got inside your head." Ren said. "He needs to be destroyed."

"Maybe you missed this, but if he dies, so do I!" Yoh snapped. He stared into their grim faces and understanding dawned. "Oh, I get it now." His voice was bitter. "If Hao is dead, it doesn't matter, does it? So much for trusting me, huh?"

"Yoh-" His father started.

"Don't start again about how I've been brainwashed, you're all the ones stuck in this rut of thinking he's nothing but a monster. I'm the only one who ever thought that killing him just created more problems, how sad." Yoh couldn't stop his and Hao's fury and he didn't want to. "Sad that the only people who trusted us enough to believe in this are the Patch, and Amidamaru."

"Yoh, let us do this, rather than the X-Laws, it'll be easier." Lyserg told him. Hao and Yoh stared at him in shock.

"You... called the X-Laws." Hao said. "Of all the idiotic, suicidal things... What the hell do you think they'll do to the Patch? Do you even think before you go off and stick your head up your ass?"

"I have to agree with Hao, where is the logic in that?" Amidamaru asked, appearing between Yoh and Hao.

"Amidamaru, you can't seriously trust Hao." Horohoro protested. "After everything..."

"I didn't trust him first, I trusted Yoh, and all of you should have too. I've watched the two of them and I have made my judgements, and yes, I trust Hao now." Amidamaru said sternly. "By calling the X-Laws in, you've put the lives of innocent people in danger."

"You can't-"

"We're leaving now." Yoh stated firmly, suggesting to Hao they go find Harusame while everyone was still here. They didn't give the rest of them a chance to reply, and just vanished, reappearing in the rooms that Yoh's friends and family had been designated. It wasn't hard to find Harusame and then leave, reappearing back in the infirmary.

"Judging by the energy surge I felt only minutes ago, I'd say things aren't going so well?" Doctor Lithu asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The X-Laws are coming." Hao said bluntly. "Apparently Yoh's friends and family have decided that Yoh's life doesn't mean enough to let me live."

"I don't think I can think of them as friends or family anymore." Yoh murmured aloud. Hao nodded his head, feeling Yoh's betrayal and sorrow like a punch in the gut. He made Yoh smile slightly by reminding him that having the X-Laws here would make their task a little easier.

"Should we warn the rest of the village?" Lithu said uneasily.

"Warn us about what?" Goldva demanded, walking in. "Causing trouble already, I hear." She said drily to the twins.

"It's about to get worse." Hao informed her. "One of the idiots thought it was a good idea to get the X-Laws involved."

"You think that could be a problem for us, because we helped you." Goldva guessed. Yoh and Hao slowly nodded. Goldva sighed and rubbed at her temples. She took out her oracle pager. "Silva, get all those who cannot defend themselves into the caverns, and the officials on high alert, I'll explain in a little while."

"You're going to fight?" Yoh asked.

"It's our home, we will defend it."

"We'd rather you not get involved in our fight." Hao said.

"Both, or just him?" Goldva asked, gesturing to Yoh.

"Both." Hao said firmly. Goldva smiled slightly.

"This Bond of yours certainly is a strange thing."

"Says the woman whose doctor is a cougar." Hao countered. Lithu guffawed loudly, and then clamped his hands over his muzzle at a look from Goldva.

"We will not fight unless we ourselves are attacked, remaining neutral must be our first priority, but we will not let our home be destroyed." Goldva stated firmly. "You only have one guardian spirit, how are you going to...?"

"There is someone else we can call." Yoh said slowly. He reassured Hao that Matamune would be glad to see them, once he understood what was going on. They needed to call him soon, otherwise they would be caught short-handed. Hao understood, but he was still nervous. "If you'll excuse us, we have some work to do."

Goldva and Lithu nodded and Yoh and Hao teleported to the roof of the infirmary. Ironically, storm clouds were now brewing and the warm air was cut by a chill wind. Yoh and Hao smiled grimly at the omen and then set to work. It was not a difficult task, really, but they wanted to keep it quiet, so some energy was being drained keeping their magic a secret.

Soon their efforts bore fruit as a small, split-tailed tabby cat spirit faded into existence in front of them. Green-yellow eyes blinked at the two of them and Yoh fought for control over their nervousness at seeing him.

"Hey, Matamune." He said, knowing Hao had no clue what to say to his old friend. "How's it going?"

"Yoh... and Hao-sama...what is going on?" Matamune asked. "Your furyiochu, it's...strange."

"It's a long story, Matamune, but the important part of it is that Hao soul and mine are bound together, so our furyiochu is the same." Yoh explained. "A lot has happened."

"So I can see." Matamune said, his voice puzzled as he looked from Yoh to Hao. Yoh mentally prodded Hao, telling him to take a chance.

"I've missed you, Matamune, and I understand if you hate me, for what I've done, but we need your help..." Hao trailed off, forehead scrunched in worry as Matamune stared at him. The cat-spirit sighed.

"It seems that Yoh inherited your talent for finding trouble, what did you get into this time?" Matamune asked patiently.

"Well, Yoh's... former friends and family didn't like the fact that we are now bonded and one of them did something really stupid and called the X-Laws. They're basically this cult and they kill anyone who refuses to believe in what they do." Hao explained. "They also had been torturing the two of us for the last little while, so we might be a little crazy."

"I'm certain there's a longer version to this story, but you believe that there might not be time to tell it." Matamune guessed. Yoh and Hao nodded, looking troubled. "Long have I wished that we could amend our friendship, Hao-sama. I would be happy to fight by your side once more."

Hao smiled in relief. "Thank you Matamune, we have a feeling we're going to need all the help we can get."


	20. Chapter 20

Star: I own nothing!

"Storm's coming, can feel it in my fur." Doctor Lithu commented over tea. He gazed at Matamune. "If I didn't know that you were always simply a cat, I would have thought you were someone like me."

"No, I am not that interesting." Matamune demurred. "Merely a cat who caught the interest of a talented shaman."

"Don't say that, I would not have done all I did for you if I didn't think you were something special." Hao protested. Matamune smiled at him.

"It's too quiet." Yoh said softly. Hao's face grew stern and he nodded in agreement. "They're planning something."

"That's the storm I feel." Lithu said, sipping at his tea. "Tension in the air, like electricity."

"I feel it too." Matamune agreed. "It won't be long now." Yoh anxiously fiddled with Harusame's handle bindings. Hao drew random circles on the table, feeding off Yoh's worry. He took a couple calming breaths, trying to relax them both. His efforts were cut short by a booming sound somewhere out in the valley.

"That was not thunder." Amidamaru observed. Yoh and Hao stood, moving in sync into battle ready stances. Lithu stared as the oracle pager on the table went off. He picked it up and looked at the message.

"The X-Laws and the others have made an attack on the edge of the village." He told Yoh and Hao. "The officials are gearing to defend their home."

"Tell them we'll be there momentarily." Yoh said, voice serious and face grim.

"It's times like this I wish I had trained as a shaman instead of focusing solely on my studies." Lithu sighed. "Best of luck be with you both."

Yoh and Hao gave him twin smiles of grim humour. "Oh, it's going to take far more than luck to win this one." Hao said. "We'll be seeing you in a little while though."

"Overconfident to the point of being arrogant, thank goodness you haven't changed that much." Matamune muttered. Yoh and Hao chuckled and then grasped hands, vanishing together. They reappeared a little ways away from where the battle was already raging, some of the Patch homes and businesses already destroyed.

"We're going to focus on getting to the X-Laws." Hao said aloud for their guardian spirits' benefits. He and Yoh already knew what they were going to do first. "If the others attack us, we will defend ourselves, but we're not going to try and kill them."

Thunder boomed above them as they silently assessed the battle, finding and targeting where Marco and Lady Jeanne, who was actually joining in on the fighting for once, were situated. They sent up a grim prayer together to whoever might listen that they might get through this just long enough to take out Marco and the Iron Maiden, ridding the world of possibly its most dangerous threat.

Without a word the two of them powered up their Oversouls and flew towards the battle, breaking the sound barrier as thunder boomed above them, lightning shattering the darkness of the clouded skies. Unfortunately, their arrival had been anticipated, and so Yoh and Hao found themselves immediately defending themselves against people Yoh had once called friends and allies.

They were focusing on trying to take down Hao, so the twins' energy was diverted for the moment to keeping them from succeeding in killing the both of them. Yoh and Hao both noticed Yoh's former friends were kind of shying away from attacking Yoh directly, and backing off if Yoh leapt in to defend Hao against one of them.

Even in the heat of battle, with death immanent around them, the twins couldn't help but feel exhilarated by the feeling of being completely in sync and working as one to defend and attack their foes. Lightning crashed above them, as though nature itself was responding to the fury of the attackers.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, Yoh found an opening that would allow him to directly attack Marco. Hao urged him to go, reassuring him that he would be fine and Yoh leapt away before the gap closed, bringing his sword down in a cutting blow. Michael the archangel blocked him and the two of them began fighting in earnest.

"What are you going to do, Asakura?" Marco sneered. "You, too cowardly to do what was always necessary, you who were too weak to resist the Evil One. What are you going to do, talk at me?"

"I've changed, Marco." Yoh replied, parrying Michael's blows with laughable ease. "And I've decided that if anyone needs to be exterminated, it's you!" he leapt forward, driving back Michael, revealing the new strength he'd been hiding. He watched Marco's eyes go wide and then narrow as he snarled, trying to get through to Yoh.

Yoh grimly fought on, waiting for his opening; nothing fancy, just a clean kill. He could feel that Hao was fighting one-on-one with the Iron Maiden now too, but the two of them focused on their own fights, knowing it was kill or be killed right now.

A cry of pain and fear distracted Marco enough that he looked away for an instant. That instant was all Yoh needed. He swung underneath Michael and jabbed his sword forward. Marco looked back at him, eyes widening in realization just in time for Harusame to stab him through the chest. Hot blood spurted onto Yoh's shirt, but he ignored it, driving the sword deeper and twisting, watching the light in Marco's eyes dim.

"Now the real monster is dead." Yoh whispered and then pulled his sword free. He heard a scream of rage, but did not turn, feeling Hao moving quicker than the Iron Maiden. He winced slightly, feeling with Hao the sensation of his weapon on flesh and bone as Lady Jeanne was decapitated. The X-Laws were dead.

It wasn't over though, as Hao warned Yoh. Yoh turned in a flash and clubbed Ren away, knocking him to the ground in front of him. Ren's weapon skittered away from him and Yoh's former friend stared up at him, terror and rage warring in his golden eyes. Yoh pondered that he must have looked a fright, covered in blood not his own and still holding his dripping sword.

"Enough." He called, his voice carrying over the waning battle. Most of them had frozen in shock at the death of the X-Laws. "We want no more death." He said, straightening, but putting away his sword. "We did what we knew must be done. The X-Laws were sadists, they took pleasure in the pain they caused; they did not understand mercy and would have the world as their playthings. We wish it didn't have to happen, but it did. I hope you can understand that it was not Hao's idea originally, but mine, after seeing what they were capable of, even to those that had saved them."

"You're not Yoh anymore." Ren protested, getting up. Yoh stared sadly into Ren's eyes.

"I am still Yoh, I've just been through too much to be as optimistic as I once was." He said softly. "I don't want to hurt any of you, you should know that." He dodged as Ren took a swipe at him, moving back towards Hao. His former friends and family surrounded both of them, their faces grim.

_How easily they believe the worst._ Hao's tone was condescending, but also sorrowful. Yoh lowered his head and closed his eyes, not wanting the tears he could feel fall. Thunder boomed overhead, and as though on cue with his sadness, the rain that had been threatening began to fall in cold torrents. Yoh allowed the tears to fall then, confident that they would not be seen.

"So this is your answer to me then?" He asked softly, gazing into all their faces in turn. He found fear, disgust, anger, and even sorrow, but no warmth. Their hearts were closed to him, because he chose a different path, a path that none of them believed could end in triumph. They would kill him, simply because it would mean Hao's death as well. They probably thought it would be a blessing to him. "I am sad, sad that my own family, and friends who have stuck with me through everything, can't even bring themselves to think that perhaps this is the right way, that maybe I'm not brainwashed. I guess that's too much to ask of you, even if I would trust you if the situations were reversed."

Nothing in their faces changed and Yoh felt bitterness well up inside him. Hao put a hand on his shoulder, asking permission silently to take them away. Yoh gave it willingly, but asked him for one more moment.

"We're going now, we will not be fighting anymore because if we did, we may kill one of you, and we don't want that. Mark my words though, if you hunt us, and try to harm us, we will fight back, and if it comes down to one of us dying, we will go for the kill." Yoh warned. "Sorry I turned out to be such a disappointment to you all." He said sarcastically.

He took Hao's hand and they vanished, reappearing far away, in front of a shop that Yoh knew only from Hao's memories of it and the person inside it. They were alone in the street, still drenched to the skin in cold water. Yoh swayed for a moment, allowing the bitterness and anger at being betrayed well up inside him from where it had been festering.

He let it all out in a scream of torment that was echoed by his brother's roar of rage. Their scream went on until Yoh's turned into a keen of loss and pain. Hao fell silent, but Yoh felt his pain too. Yoh sank to his knees, weeping softly in anguish. He felt hands on his shoulders and allowed Hao's urging to bring him to his feet and help him inside.

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Star: Battle scenes are not my forte, but I think this one went okay. I'm away for the weekend, so it may take a couple more days than usual for me to get updates out, just so you all know.


	21. Chapter 21

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh and Hao woke up screaming as usual. It took a couple minutes for them to reorient themselves, clutching desperately at each other while they did. Yoh then looked curiously around the bedroom they were in. A Navajo wall hanging was at odds with the little Greek figurine on the bedside table. Hao looked around as well with detached interest; Yoh may have known where they were and who they were with, but he had yet to experience the oddity for himself.

"If you two are done screaming, breakfast is ready." A mellow, female voice said from outside the room. Yoh radiated excitement like a beacon to Hao and he informed his brother mentally that they should probably get dressed before going out to meet their hostess. Yoh agreed and the two of them quickly got dressed and walked out into the rest of the modestly sized apartment.

In the kitchen a young woman was working at the stove. She was average sized, but had a handful of remarkable features. Most noticeable at this angle was the white wolf's tail poking out of her backside, curling and uncurling as she worked. Though she looked young her hair was a short snowy white halo around her head, with a sleek ponytail emerging at the nape of her neck. A pair of white wolf ears poked out in place of normal human ears. When she turned to smile at the two of them she revealed aqua blue eyes that were eerily ancient.

"I wondered when the two of you would finally grace us with your presence." The cat-sized blue dragon perched precariously on her shoulder chirped in agreement. "You seem to have gotten a little more interesting, my old friend."

"And you haven't changed a bit, Kia." Hao said gently.

"Well, you're certainly more polite than the last time I saw you." The wolf-girl observed, chuckling softly. "And judging by the similarities in you two, and the twined energies I sense between you, I would guess that you are Yoh." She said, smiling at Yoh.

"Yes, I am. I know about you from Hao's memories, but I must say it's an honour to meet you in person." Yoh said excitedly. From what he understood from Hao's memories, Kia was older than he was and was highly respected in the supernatural world, which was a big deal. He bowed to her.

"No need to bow youngling, I'm nothing but a humble shopkeeper." Her eyes twinkled at Hao's snort of derision. "Aly, my dear, would you be so kind as to set out plates for our guests?" The pale little girl with shaggy, long red hair and inky black eyes that had been sitting quietly at the table let out a huff and went to do as she was asked. She yawned, revealing the sharp canines that marked her as a vampire.

Soon Yoh and Hao were happily eating a hearty breakfast of pancakes, bacon and eggs with Kia, while Aly sipped at a mug of blood and Pippin, the little dragon, stole food off everyone's plates. "Now, why don't we start with how you two have become Bonded in the manner you are, because I know for certain you were not Bonded with anyone before, Hao." Kia stated.

Yoh and Hao took turns telling their story, filling in details that seemed more important to one than the other when need be. Kia's eerie eyes remained locked on their faces, seemingly staring into their now connected souls. It was a slightly unnerving notion, but Hao and, through him, Yoh trusted her.

"...we decided we needed to leave after realizing they weren't going to accept us and Hao got the idea to come here, hoping you would allow us to spend at least the night." Yoh finished, looking at his brother, who looked mildly embarrassed. He had not been kind to Kia the last time they'd seen each other, about ten years ago, and he felt quite bad about it now.

"Tis all in the past, my friend." Kia said soothingly.

"I thought it might, knowing you, but I wasn't sure if you'd let us stay, especially if you knew we'd killed..." Kia silenced him with a wave of her hand.

"I may be in the service of Life, but even I know that sometimes death is a necessary thing, however much it pains me to do so." She said softly, her eyes old and sad.

"Thanks to Yoh, I now understand that pain." Hao said. Kia reached out and squeezed his hand reassuringly just as Yoh did the same. Hao smiled slightly, humbled by the love he felt for him in this room. It was nearly overwhelming after so many years of loneliness, but he had Yoh there to help him learn to cope with it.

"So, what are your plans now?"

"We're still figuring that out." Yoh admitted. "The biggest thing is we're probably going to have to watch our backs and we need somewhere to stay where we know we won't be attacked."

"Let me guess, you were hoping I'd allow you two to stay here?" Kia asked, humour in her voice.

"I mean there are other places, and they would be easy enough to shield from anyone looking to harm us, but it would be nice to be among...friends." Hao stuttered, both he and Yoh flushing in embarrassment.

"Peace, both of you. You can stay as long as you like. I enjoy having company." Kia said, chuckling slightly. Yoh and Hao thanked her profusely and then got up from the table. There was one last thing they needed to do before settling in...

%&%&%&%

The twins were careful to appear outside the Patch village in a wooded area so their presence would not be detected. They regarded for a moment the quick fix jobs that had already been made to the damaged buildings. Satisfied that all seemed well they vanished again and reappeared in the infirmary, startling Doctor Lithu once again.

"You two are going to put me in an early grave." The cougar man complained good-naturedly. "I was worried about you two." He confessed.

"We felt it better to leave than to put the Patch in more danger." Yoh explained. "We wanted to say goodbye, because we think it's best if we stay away until things die down a little bit."

"Do you think they ever will?" Silva's voice asked from the doorway.

"We're more talking about their suspicions of you dying down enough that we can come and visit." Hao explained. "Obviously reconciliation at this point is not something that's going to happen between us and them." Silva nodded his head.

"They'll hunt you." He told them quietly. Yoh and Hao felt a surge of resigned determination.

"Probably for the rest of our lives." Yoh said, only a trace of bitterness to his tone. "We will not harm them though, not unless they attempt to harm us, or those we care about."

"You can take that? Having to always be on the lookout for another attack, having to make certain all the time that you are safe?" Doctor Lithu asked.

"We have each other, we can take on anything." Hao said with utmost confidence. "We should say goodbye now."

Yoh instantly went and gave Silva a hug goodbye and then did the same for Doctor Lithu. "Thank you for believing in us." Yoh said to them both. Hao held out his hand to Silva, who took it with a look of surprise. Hao went to shake Doctor Lithu's hand but was instead pulled into a massive bearhug by the affectionate cougar.

"You two better come back." The doctor said with a grin. "Otherwise we'll be hunting you two as well."

"We promise." Yoh and Hao replied together. They took each other's hand and vanished again, appearing in front of Kia's shop. The two of them just stood there for a moment, not yet ready to go inside.

_I wish..._Hao squeezed Yoh's hand and smiled sadly at him. So much had changed for them, and though they never would regret becoming Bonded, there would always be that sadness associated with their first days being Bonded. Perhaps things would get better eventually, perhaps they would be able to prove that they were not to be feared, but for now they had to hide away.

The Bond meant so much to both of them now. Of course it would, naturally, but for them it meant something a little bit deeper. It meant an end to their fears, an end to feeling like no one understood. It meant never being alone ever again, and that was the most important thing of all.

_We can do anything now, can't we?_ Hao smiled slightly at Yoh's optimism.

_Yes, we can._ He agreed. _Because we have each other, and that's all we'll ever need. _

**THE END!**

Star: So, that's it, that's all. I want to thank everyone who reviewed first of all, you make me happy, and I'd like to thank everyone who offered up ideas, whether or not I used them, as they make me think of new and interesting ideas. I have been bitten by the Avengers bug and so my next fanfic is going to be an Avengers fic entitled Melting Frost and it involves Kia and Loki, so if you're at all interested in Avengers, I will have that up soon!


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